20 for 20
Wednesday 13th April 2022
This year marks 20 years since the first clinical TAVI procedure was performed by Alain Cribbier, and to celebrate this historic milestone, Heart Valve Voice will be sharing 20 TAVI stories throughout the year, one for every year this pioneering procedure has been performed.
Alain Cribier’s first clinical TAVI was performed on 16 April 2002 on a 57-year-old man suffering from heart failure and poor left ventricular ejection. Faced with limited options and the patient’s fate if nothing was done, Cribier performed a TAVI. Cribier later said, “it is moving to remember the fierce opposition of experts towards this “totally unrealistic and stupid idea” that “would never work.”
Five years later, Gladys Adam’s received the first UK TAVI, performed by Jan Kovac. The procedure saved her life, and Gladys lived for nine years, spending precious time with her family, welcoming great-grandchildren into the world and creating memories that live with her family to this day.
What was then viewed as a revolutionary method to treat heart valve disease is now a routine procedure, which is seen to be one of the most significant advances in cardiac disease therapy over the last 30 years.
Our 20 for 20 campaign will be a celebration of thousands of stories of how TAVI has saved lives and look at the incredible experiences they have been afforded by this procedure. The campaign will start tomorrow with Mary's story, and run throughout the year.
Heart Valve Voice Executive Director Wil Woan said: “TAVI has come a long way in the 20 years since it was first performed. Now, with the pressures of growing waiting lists and an increasing unmet need, it is vital we utilise all treatment options to ensure we can treat more patients and save lives.”
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