Jaber Hospital Successfully Performs Middle East's First Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

In a medical achievement that is a first in the Middle East, a specialized medical team at Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital successfully performed an advanced transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure via the carotid artery in the neck. The operation was successful, the patient’s condition stabilized, and he was discharged from the hospital just two days after the procedure.

The Ministry of Health stated in a statement that “the procedure was broadcast live via satellite as part of the events of the Middle East Conference on Catheter-Based Cardiovascular Interventions, where it was presented to an elite group of experts and specialists in interventional cardiology. This national achievement, accomplished by the hands of national competencies, reflects the advanced level reached in catheterization services and heart valve treatment in the State of Kuwait.”

The Ministry explained that “the procedure was performed on a Kuwaiti man in his seventies who suffered from severe aortic valve stenosis, weakened heart muscle, renal failure, and severe blockages in the arteries of both lower limbs. These conditions precluded performing the valve replacement via the traditional femoral approach, and his overall health condition was also unsuitable for open-heart surgery.”

It added that the medical team used the carotid artery in the neck as an alternative access route to reach the heart and implant the valve, requiring precise coordination between the specialties of interventional cardiology and vascular surgery.

The medical team included Dr. Ali Sabe and Dr. Mohammed Al-Turki from the structural heart catheterization team, in collaboration with Dr. Ahmed Al-Emir from the vascular surgery team, and within the Cardiac Unit team, which includes Dr. Ziyad Al-Khudeir, Head of the Cardiac Laboratory, and Dr. Fawzia Al-Kandari, Head of the Cardiac Unit.