Doctors conducted the operation recently at the hospital on an 83-year old female patient with a narrowed aortic valve and was considered unfit for general anaesthesia.
The procedure lasted for less than two hours and was conducted while the patient was awake, receiving only local anaesthesia (paracetamol) with mild sedation.One of the challenges for this procedure has been the need for an oesophageal ultrasound, but with the development of technology and improved expertise, doctors have developed techniques for performing the whole procedure guided by only the advanced x-ray images available at specialised hospitals.Dr Jeilan emphasised the advantages of this procedure including no cutting of bones, almost negligible blood loss and infections are reduced as the incision is small and the patient does not require intensive care monitoring which means that the patient can be allowed home earlier than most other patient.The first lady to undergo this procedure was discharged 3 days after the operation.