83-year-old man undergoes first successful heart valve transplant in Kenya

The Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) was conducted at Mediheal Hospital in Nairobi at a tune of Ksh.7 million and took two hours to complete.

According to the patient, a Catholic priest named Fr. Brambilla Luigi Carlo, he was experiencing shortness of breath whenever he went up a flight of stairs or rode the bike.

Fr. Carlo was later diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis as a result of calcification and obstruction in one heart valve.

The procedure was conducted by 10 specialists, among them Dr. Vijaysinh Patil, who told The Standard that Carlo’s heart valve was totally blocked and had to be replaced with an artificial one, considering “there is a 50 percent mortality in five years.”

Due to the patient’s age, Dr. Patil noted,  they had to perform a non-surgical procedure which does not involve opening Carlo’s chest.

“We offered him percutaneous TAVI treatment. He was not willing for open heart surgery because of the high risk,” he said.

For the patient’s procedure, the specialists inserted a catheter on the right groin to carry the valve, which was mounted on a balloon navigator system, to the heart.

Fr. Carlo was reportedly able to walk six hours after the procedure and will be observed for two days before being discharged.

According to Mayo Clinic, Aortic Stenosis occurs when the valve in the large blood vessel branching off the heart (aorta) starts narrowing.

This narrowing keeps the valve from opening fully, reducing blood flow to the body and making the heart work harder.

As a result, the heart may weaken, causing chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath.

Whereas mild cases may not need treatment, severe cases call for surgery to repair or replace the valve.