New alternative to open-heart surgery for leaky pulmonary valves

A HOLD FreeRelease 4 | eTurboNews | eTN
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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Jasmine Harvey, 21, was born with the complex congenital heart condition tetralogy of Fallot and underwent open-heart surgery at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital when she was just 4-months-old. This procedure included the closure of a large hole between the bottom chambers of her heart and the widening of her narrowed pulmonary valve. As a teenager, the leakage of her pulmonary valve began to worsen which led to the enlargement of her right ventricle.

On Dec. 8, 2021, Jasmine became one of the first patients in Florida to receive the Harmony™ Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve. The valve is placed via cardiac catheterization and provides an alternative to open-heart surgery for patients with leaky pulmonary valves. St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is the first facility in Florida and among a select few hospitals in the country to offer this revolutionary technology. 

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common type of birth defects, affecting an estimated 40,000 infants in the United States each year. Tetralogy of Fallot is one of the most common CHDs and all patients born with this diagnosis require initial heart surgery during infancy and usually additional cardiac procedures later in childhood or during adulthood. 

During Jasmine’s procedure, Dr. Ringewald inserted the Harmony valve loaded on its delivery catheter into a vein in her leg and guided the catheter by fluoroscopy to the location of her leaky pulmonary valve. The Harmony valve was deployed and once released, the valve immediately began functioning.

The Harmony has an hourglass-shaped nickel-titanium wire frame with a porcine (pig) heart tissue valve sewn inside it. The unique, self-expanding design allows the device to work for a wide variety of patients.

Jasmine’s procedure was a success and instead of spending approximately a week in the hospital typical of most open-heart surgical procedures, she was discharged after just one day.

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital is home to the Tampa Bay area’s only comprehensive congenital heart disease program, and its pediatric heart physicians perform hundreds of procedures each year to treat congenital and acquired heart conditions in children of any age, including newborns. A partnership between St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh provides families across Florida with unprecedented access to the highest level of pediatric heart care available. Together, they provide highly specialized cardiovascular care for patients ranging from babies in the womb to adults with congenital heart disease.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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