Only a few clinics worldwide, in the USA and Germany, are able to replace heart valves via keyhole surgery, using an incision of about 5cm. However, three years ago, the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Cardiology mastered the technique, followed by Grodno’s Regional Clinical Cardiology Centre.
The two surgeries were performed in parallel, by two heart surgeons. The Deputy Chief Physician of the Regional Cardiology Centre, Candidate of Medical Sciences Andrey Yanushko, notes that his work in this field is breaking new ground, using a prosthetic mitral valve, to allow the patient temporary reprieve. Being less invasive, it minimises scar tissue and makes it easier to conduct a full transplantation when an organ becomes available. Research by foreign and domestic colleagues confirms that patients gain a higher survival rate thanks to valve insertion and enjoy a better quality of life as a result.
By Yelena Semenova
