Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) had one.

Making procedure more efficient

The hospital made history recently by becoming the first hospital in the Asean region to successfully implant an advanced man-made heart valve in a patient.

According to a report by Malay Mail, history was made when the man-made heart valve, which was called Myval, was implanted in an 83-year-old with severe aortic stenosis on 31 December.

Aortic stenosis, a common heart condition in the developed world, happens when the opening of the heart’s aortic valve becomes narrowed, restricting blood flow from the heart to other parts of the body.

The doctors reportedly completed the surgery at 10.45am, thus making history.

Quoting a press statement from IJN senior consultant cardiologist, Dr Shaiful Azmi Yahaya, the report said the Myval device will enable doctors to carry out the heart procedure with greater precision.

“For instance, one significant benefit of this device is ‘navigator delivery system’, which enables the surgeon to guide the valve into the heart more efficiently.

“By improving the accuracy of this valve implantation, we can also reduce the patient’s chances of requiring a pacemaker later on.

“Continuous innovation is what we need to keep doing what IJN does best; adopt the latest yet safest technology to improve the lives of our patients,” he said adding that IJN has been a pioneer of TAVI regionally and the first centre in Asia to introduce the procedure.

How does it work?

According to the report, Myval is made of biological tissue designed to be used for those who require Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), a new procedure often used to treat patients with aortic stenosis.

Compared to open heart surgery to treat the condition, the TAVI procedure is less invasive, but is more efficient and has a faster recovery rate.

Designed and manufactured by Meril Lifesciences in India, Myval is an innovative step towards treating severe aortic stenosis.