King Faisal Hospital has performed Rwanda’s first minimally invasive operation to replace a damaged valve in the heart, a procedure that helps restore normal blood flow. ALSO READ: How minimally invasive heart surgeries are saving children’s lives in Rwanda According to the hospital, the surgery was carried out earlier this week on a patient whose mitral valve, one of the heart’s key structures, was no longer working properly. The valve sits between two chambers on the left side of the heart and ensures that blood moves in the right direction. When it is damaged, doctors say that blood can either leak backwards or struggle to pass through. ALSO READ: How King Faisal Hospital championed minimally invasive surgery in Rwanda Doctors replaced the valve using small incisions made between the ribs, instead of opening the chest through the breastbone as is done in conventional open-heart surgeries. Through these small openings, surgeons use specialised instruments to reach the heart and carry out the procedure. Since the chest is not fully opened, the method is associated with less injury to the body. Patients are likely to experience less pain and may recover faster compared to those who undergo traditional surgery. In the same week, the hospital also carried out its fifth minimally invasive aortic valve replacement. The aortic valve controls the flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When it becomes damaged, it may also need to be replaced to allow the heart to function properly.
