<\/p>\n
The patients are 84-year-old Leontiy Rudnytsky from Zhytomyr and 80-year-old Maria Kolesa from Lviv. Both came to their doctors with complaints of shortness of breath, unstable blood pressure and general weakness.<\/p>\n
Both Ms. Maria and Mr. Leontiy were diagnosed with critical aortic stenosis. This is a narrowing of the aortic valve opening, which leads to impaired blood flow, overloading of the heart and, ultimately, its stopping.<\/p>\n
A few years ago, both Mr. Leontiy and Ms. Maria had no chance of survival in Ukraine. Since the replacement of the valves in an open way, i.e. with the chest opening, their bodies could not withstand it at such a venerable age.<\/p>\n
The only way to save such patients is the newest endovascular method of TAVI, or transcatheter aortic valve implantation. This state-of-the-art operation is performed with only one puncture in the leg, and the new artificial valve is delivered to the heart by a blood vessel. This is the least traumatic and safest way. TAVI surgery in Ukraine is currently performed in only 9 medical institutions, one of which is the First Medical Association of Lviv.<\/p>\n
The First Medical Association specialists performed this intervention for the first time almost three years ago. Since then, they have successfully performed two dozen operations. That’s why Mr. Leontiy and Mrs. Maria decided to come here. Despite the fact that the TAVI method has only advantages, it is rarely used. After all, this method of valve replacement is very expensive and is not covered by the state. Therefore, specialists are looking for opportunities to perform such an operation when there are no other options left.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth patients had critical aortic valve stenosis. They were heavy, their ejection fraction was low, plus their advanced age – all this indicated that open surgery was impossible. So together we decided to install a new valve for the patients using the endovascular TAVI method. This was the 21st and 22nd such operation in our medical association,\u201d says Oleksandr Holub, head of the Interventional Radiology Department at St. Luke’s Hospital.<\/p>\n
The elderly Lviv resident and Zhytomyr citizen were operated on the same day. Both interventions were successful, and the patients were discharged a week later.<\/p>\n
A week later, Ms. Maria visited her rescuers to thank them and have a checkup. She said: \u201cI have already lived for many years, but I want to keep living. I have granddaughters and great-granddaughters. We have a dacha. I love the land very much, I plant flowers and vegetables. I’ve already planted seedlings at home, and soon I’m going to plant them with my children.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Without any incisions – just a single puncture in the leg – specialists at St. Luke’s Hospital of Lviv’s First Medical Unit repaired the hearts of two elderly patients. Interventional radiologists used the state-of-the-art endovascular TAVI method to help them withstand the surgery. The patients are 84-year-old Leontiy Rudnytsky from Zhytomyr and 80-year-old Maria Kolesa …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zdorovia"],"yoast_head":"\n