New treatment option for heart valve insufficiency

Severe heart disease or pulmonary hypertension often lead to a leak in the tricuspid valve, the valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle. However, tricuspid regurgitation can also occur without a clearly identifiable cause. In the past, this leakage was mainly treated with medication using diuretics and, for some years now, with clips inserted into the heart valve. Severe leaks could not be adequately remedied with these methods. With catheter-based valve replacement, a minimally invasive procedure is now available as a new treatment option for severe cases. The procedure was successfully performed via the groin for the first time in Austria at the Department of Medicine II of University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna. It was the third implantation of this new type of heart valve worldwide.