Almaty doctors perform unique heart surgery on 95 yo patient
Doctors in Almaty carried out a unique heart surgery on a 95‑year‑old patient, Qazinform News Agency reports.
They performed a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), which replaces the aortic valve without opening the chest or stopping the heart. The new valve was delivered through a catheter inserted into the femoral artery.
According to the Almaty multidisciplinary clinical hospital, aortic stenosis is one of the most dangerous heart diseases in elderly patients. Without timely treatment, it leads to severe heart failure and significantly reduces life expectancy. Traditional open‑heart surgery at such an advanced age carries very high risks, so the medical team chose a minimally invasive approach.
Doctors reported that the operation was successful. They noted that modern technologies now allow treatment even for very elderly patients, and minimally invasive methods ensure faster recovery.
To note, this patient became the oldest person to undergo such a procedure this year. In 2022 they treated a 103‑year‑old woman, and last year a 97‑year‑old man successfully underwent the same operation.
It should be noted, for the first time, surgeons of the city children’s clinical hospital No. 2 in Almaty performed this January deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedure on a teen with severe motor impairments.
