IJN first to perform 'Bio-absorbable PV Conduit' surgery in Asia Pacific region
Dr Mohd Azhari says it had created history for IJN as heart institute seldom performed such surgeries.
The National Heart Institute (IJN) has become the first heart centre in the Asia Pacific Region to successfully perform surgeries to implant 'Bio-absorbable Pulmonary Valve (PV) Conduit' on three children with congenital heart defect.
IJN Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Azhari Yakub said the three children were operated within this week successfully, the first, a seven-year-old girl on Tuesday, second a six-year-old girl yesterday and a four-year-old boy this morning.
Dr Mohd Azhari said this had created history for the institute as heart institute seldom performed such surgeries.
"The three children are considered the fifth, sixth and the seventh patients in the world who underwent this surgery.
"Besides Malaysia, there are only two heart centres in the world who have done the same surgery, one in Budapest, Hungary and the other in Krakow, Poland," he told reporters at IJN, here today.
Dr Mohd Azhari said the surgeries on the three children which took four hours was led by Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr S. Sivakumar and the institute will perform another 12 more surgeries by year-end.
He said the PV Conduit made of polymer based implant device was developed by a company from Switzerland 'Xeltis' and used to correct or reconstruct the Right Ventricular outflow in patients.
"The PV will gradually absorb the body naturally over a period of one to two years before helping the body to regenerate own tissues, thus enabling the heart to be restored to its normal function," he said.
He said the device with a size of between 16 to 18 millimeters in diameter is suitable for patients within the age of two to 22, to facilitate the flow of blood from the heart to their lungs.
"With the introduction of this new PV Conduit device and the successful clinical trial results, we hope within the next two to three years, the device would be available for commercial use, and it shall benefit many congenital heart patients," he said. -- BERNAMA
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