Shanghai, China, 30 December 2021 — The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) recently reported the clinical case of the world’s first combined single-session transcatheter aortic procedure using VitaFlow®, a Transcatheter Aortic Valve System developed by MicroPort® CardioFlow Medtech. The complex procedure, conducted by the team of Meizhou People’s Hospital, was performed on a patient with three severe aortic diseases. This surgical breakthrough has created a new reference case for the interventional treatment of structural heart and cardiovascular diseases worldwide.
This surgery combined three procedures in a single session: transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and percutaneous balloon angioplasty of aortic coarctation (PBAAC). The patient, a 71-year-old male, was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis and severe aortic constriction with a thoracic aortic aneurysm. Due to the rarity of these conditions, the procedure is considered risky and highly complex with very few reference cases and guidelines, therefore posing a challenge to the cardiac team of Meizhou People's Hospital.
In view of the special conditions of the patient, Prof. Wei Zhong of the Structural Cardiology Team of Meizhou People’s Hospital proposed a ‘combined triple transcatheter aortic procedure’ during preoperative multidisciplinary consultation. The cardiac team, led by President Zhixiong Zhong of Meizhou People’s Hospital, conducted detailed preoperative planning, where Prof. Zhong proposed using the VitaFlow® Transcatheter Aortic Valve System from MicroPort® CardioFlow Medtech for the TAVR procedure.
During the surgery, the Structural Cardiology Team led by Prof. Zhong worked with the Peripheral Vascular Disease Team, led by Prof. Cunren Li, to overcome the various complexities and challenges. Despite significant torsion of the patient’s aortic root, Prof. Zhong was able to release the VitaFlow® valve by precisely controlling the delivery system and timely imaging. After eight hours of meticulous operation, the cardiac team completed the procedure. A chest computed tomography angiogram (CTA) at three-month follow-up visits showed that the aortic valve stent was well-positioned and fixated, with the diameter of the original coarctation of aorta at approximately 26 mm. The results demonstrate that the stent graft was well-positioned and thrombus organization was visible in the lumen of the true aortic aneurysm.
The publishing of the world’s first clinical application of the combined triple transcatheter aortic procedure in a leading journal signifies the international recognition of breakthroughs made by the cardiac team of Meizhou People's Hospital in interventional technology. The publication also demonstrates the acknowledgement of the surgical protocol of the transcarotid TAVR+TEVAR+PBACA procedure for aortic stenosis combined with aortic disease, providing a new reference case for surgeons of structural heart disease and cardiovascular disease worldwide.
About MicroPort CardioFlow Medtech
Founded in 2015, Cardioflow Medtech (stock code: 02160.HK), a subsidiary of MicroPort Scientific Corporation (stock code: 00853.HK), focuses on the research, development and commercialization of innovative transcatheter and surgical solutions for valvular heart diseases. In light of today’s enormous, rapidly growing yet severely under-penetrated heart valve medical device market, Cardioflow Medtech has seized this opportunity to strategically focus its product portfolio on the treatment of the most common aortic and mitral valve diseases, including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.