Aortic Valve Stenosis Percutaneous Valvuloplasty With Medicated Balloon

Dr. Rafael Moguel, Director of Clinics of the Heart, Mexico’s premier interventional cardiology center located in the modern Costamed Hospital CMC has announced that patients who suffer aortic valve stenosis may apply for the percutaneous valvuloplasty (PAVI or TAVI) with medicated balloon, a treatment that dilates the aortic valve with very minimal invasion and low cost.

Aortic Stenosis

The aortic stenosis is a defect where the aortic valve is narrowed so the heart needs to pump against a very small opening. After years with this problem, a patient will develop heart failure and low life expectancy, so cardiac surgery is required to replace the valve. Now it is possible to do this replacement by transcatheterization without surgery, but at a very high cost.

The aortic valve can be dilated with very minimal invasion and a low-cost procedure using a balloon, but restenosis is very frequent. Restenosis is a complication in which the valve narrows again in less than six months. There is some evidence that a medicated balloon will reduce the restenosis rate.

Transcatheterization with Medicated Balloon

This balloon is inserted through the skin after a puncture with a small needle and then advanced up to the heart, crossing the valve. Once in the valve, the balloon is inflated to open the obstruction where it deploys the medication (Paclitaxel) in the valve to reduce the inflammation process that promotes the restenosis. After the balloon is deflated, it is removed from the body, and the patient is relieved of the valve obstruction.

Approximately 500,000 aortic stenosis patients are considered severe cases, with half presenting symptoms. The most common symptom of the condition is chronic shortness of breath. However, patients may also experience chest pains or dizziness. Research shows that, left untreated, severe aortic stenosis has a 50% mortality rate at two years. Perhaps surprisingly, this is a survival rate below that of certain metastatic cancers.

Traditionally, the most effective treatment option has been replacing the aortic valve through open-heart surgery, an invasive procedure that carries many risks. Unfortunately, approximately one-third of severe aortic stenosis patients are not candidates for the open-heart procedure due to age or co-morbid conditions like lung, vascular and kidney disease. These patients are left with limited treatment options.

If you’re interested in trying this treatment, talk to your doctor about your options. For you to receive a treatment through the compassionate use program, you must contact the Clinics of the Heart and submit an application and the following certain criteria must be met:

  1. Your disease is serious or immediately life-threatening.
  2. No treatment is available, or you haven’t been helped by approved treatments for your disease.
  3. You aren’t eligible for clinical trials.
  4. Your doctor agrees that you have no other options and may benefit from the experimental treatment.
  5. Clinics of the Heart agrees to provide it to you.