Cardiac surgeons bring innovative technique to Calgary

Mitral regurgitation occurs when the heart’s mitral valve doesn’t close properly, which allows blood to leak backwards through the mitral valve. This condition usually progresses slowly over time and may lead to heart failure, causing symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling, heart palpitations, cough and light-headedness.

Degenerative mitral valve disease is a relatively common cardiovascular disease impacting about two per cent of the Canadian population. If left untreated, patients are at increased risk of death. Patients with this condition have historically required open-heart surgery or minimally invasive surgical procedures to repair their mitral valve.

In addition to a lengthy recovery time following open-heart surgery, being put on a heart-lung bypass machine, which is necessary both for conventional and minimally invasive mitral valve repair, puts stress on numerous organ systems, including the lungs, and increases the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Calgary surgeons now offer a less-risky alternative to repairing mitral valves that eliminates the need for the heart-lung bypass machine. The Neochord device allows surgeons to repair the mitral valve while the heart is still beating via a small incision between the ribs.

“This is a new technology that has been used in only a handful of cases in North America,” says Calgary surgeon Dr. William Kent, MD, one of two local cardiac surgeons trained to use the Neochord. “It’s an excellent alternative for people who are at high risk of conventional surgery.”

Kent and his colleague, Dr. Corey Adams, MD, specialize in minimally invasive surgery. They, along with their surgical team including anaesthesiologists, nurses and assistants, recently completed a series of four surgeries using the new technology after receiving training in Europe in the Neochord procedure.

Calgary is the second site in Canada to undertake the procedure and the first in North America to complete a series of patients.

Red Deer resident Robert Toews, 77, was the first to undergo the procedure in Calgary in April 2022. One month post surgery, he is pleased with his recovery.

“I feel a bit tired, but overall, I am getting back to normal,” he says, explaining he was a candidate for the surgery after developing a heart murmur in 2020.

Toews spent just two days in the hospital following his surgery.  

Lethbridge resident Irene Tosczak, 71, had a similar experience, although her case was a bit more complicated in that it was a re-repair of her mitral valve.

“My first valve replacement was a minimally invasive procedure in 2018, and I spent six days in the hospital recovering,” she says. “This time I went home three days after surgery.  I was in awe of what they can do and really how easy it was.”

Tosczak is also recovering well. 

Adams is excited to be part of the surgical innovation, which cuts down surgery time, gets patients back to their normal routine faster and cuts down on the risk of cardiovascular complications.

“It feels great to offer something cutting edge to Calgarians,” says Adams. “It’s amazing to see patients going home as soon as two days post-op, without the symptoms they came in with, such as shortness of breath.”

Adams and Kent say a whole team was involved in offering the new procedure.

“We couldn’t have done this without the support of the surgical team, the care team in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, our leaders and administration in the Department of Cardiac Sciences,” says Adams. “It’s been nice to see everyone take pride in this innovation.”

The team is planning to continue doing the procedure and is being considered as the North American training site for the new technology.

There are about 230 minimally invasive mitral valve cases performed each year in Calgary. The team expects up to 20 per cent of patients will be candidates for the new procedure.

Dr. William Kent, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the Cumming School of Medicine. He co-leads Calgary’s Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery program and is a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.

Dr. Corey Adams, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the Cumming School of Medicine. He co-leads Calgary’s Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery program and is a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.