Tulsa-based Oklahoma Heart Institute cardiologists were the first in the world to use a new heart valve implant, News on 6 reported Oct. 7.
The Edwards Pascal Precision System is used to repair a patient's mitral valve by lessening or stopping it from leaking. It is used on patients with severe degenerative mitral valve regurgitation.
The device is less invasive, allows for faster recovery and has fewer risks, cardiologist Kamran Muhammad, MD, said in the report.
Cardiologists implanted the device into an 84-year-old woman as part of a major study. Hillcrest Medical Center, where the Oklahoma Heart Institute is located, presented the results in September, which it said led to FDA approval this year.