Master class on implantation of a new valve in the treatment of heart pathology

The UMC Heart Center hosted a master class on the installation of a new Octacor heart valve, which is implanted in aortic stenosis. The foreign developed device features an advanced design and is used during TAVI – transcatheter aortic valve implantation. This is a minimally invasive procedure to replace the aortic valve located between the left ventricle of the heart and the aorta. The procedure is performed by inserting a catheter through the femoral artery and is optimal for elderly patients who are contraindicated for open surgery.

The event also included the opening of the Meril Academy training center to conduct educational workshops for colleagues from the regions and other countries at the UMC Heart Center. The training center will become a hub of professional growth, transfer of experience and knowledge exchange for both doctors and nursing specialists. The training courses will include lectures by leading UMC specialists and foreign experts, as well as practical skills development on simulators and live-case procedures.

“The opening of the training center will provide new opportunities for implementing advanced treatment methods for patients with structural heart diseases and for training colleagues and young specialists from other regions and countries. During the master class, we successfully performed 6 procedures for implanting a new valve and invited 15 doctors from different cities of Kazakhstan for training,” said Abdurashid Mussayev, head of the catheterization laboratory at the UMC Heart Center.

For reference

The UMC team introduced the TAVI procedure in 2011 and has performed more than 1,200 artificial valve implantations to date. And since 2020, the UMC Heart Center has been operating a TAVI training center, where the clinic’s doctors share their experience with local and foreign colleagues from other medical institutions. More than 200 medical specialists from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia, India, Iran, Nepal, Russia, Romania and Azerbaijan have already successfully completed the trainings.