Swelling of the legs, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, loss of appetite or poor physical performance - these are the most common symptoms of patients suffering from tricuspid heart valve insufficiency. The so-called Catheterization plastic consists in the implantation of special clamps in the valve and is currently the only effective solution for elderly and sick patients who can no longer undergo surgery. At the end of June, it was the first in the Czech Republic to be performed by cardiologists from the General University Hospital in Prague. The eighty-two-year-old man was saved by his life.

"Catheter treatment of heart valves is one of the most dynamic areas of cardiology. Over the last fifteen or twenty years, the method of treatment has changed dramatically, especially for patients with elderly or co-morbid conditions. It all started with the aortic valve, later the mitral and now the tricuspid, which is between the right atrium and the right ventricle of the heart, " introduced by doc. MUDr. David Zemanek, PhD. of II. internal clinics of cardiology and angiology of the General Hospital and the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University, which performed a unique procedure. Until now, doctors have addressed the insufficiency of the tricuspid valve either by cardiac surgery or conservatively with the help of drugs. Surgery on the tricuspid valve itself is relatively rare by cardiac surgeons, because the postoperative course is often complicated and patients are often old and ill. Conservative treatment is more gentle, but it will only help temporarily. The swelling that most often causes the disease can temporarily disappear. But then the patient's health begins to deteriorate. Gradually, cardiac output decreases and the heart begins to fail. People who have symptoms of right heart failure and are treated conservatively will usually die within one or two years. Catheterization plastic should be a solution for them.

For more information, see press release