New Heart Study
A new study featured in this month's New England Journal of Medicine finds some people suffering from a life-threatening heart condition known as severe aortic stenosis could benefit from an experimental treatment that avoids open-heart surgery to replace the aortic valve.
Beaumont cardiologist George Hanzel says the experimental therapy is designed to place a new aortic valve in position in the heart without major surgery.
"It's been a long haul but hopefully we will have this valve available for clinical use within the next 12 to 18 months. In the meantime, there are going to be clinical trials ongoing that patients can enroll in to potentially afford some benefits from this less invasive therapy," said Hanzel.
The replacement valve is attached to a catheter, which is threaded through blood vessels until it reaches the heart. Beaumont Hospital will be involved in the next phase of the study.
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