Cardiologists from Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian reported what is believed to be the first patient with heart failure and a blood clot to undergo a minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement using computed tomography fusion imaging.
The patient was a 78-year-old man with a history of obesity, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, according to a May 4 press release. The cardiologists reported their findings in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions on April 11.
"We believe this case is potentially groundbreaking because of its successful outcome and the fact that the presence of left-ventricle thrombus or blood clot has historically been considered to be a contraindication to transcatheter aortic valve replacement, an alternative to open-heart surgery to replace heart valves in patients with heart disease," said Rahul Vasudev, MD, the report's lead author.