Achievements

In 2008 the Heart Trust provided initial funding for Waikato Hospital to bring a new treatment option to New Zealand: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).  In the past, open-heart surgery was the traditional option to open up a narrowed aortic valve.  However about 50% of patients who present with narrowed valves (aortic stenosis) have medical conditions that make open heart surgery too dangerous for them.

The Heart Trust and Waikato Hospital pioneered TAVI where the valve is implanted via the leg, reducing the risks and making recovery time much shorter than open-heart surgery. As a result of the Trust’s initiative over 140 patients from throughout the region have received valves that they might not otherwise have received.