The first percutaneous tricuspid valve implantation in Greece took place at HYGEIA

05 April 2023

The first percutaneous tricuspid valve implantation in Greece was performed successfully at HYGEIA on a patient with severe symptomatic failure of the tricuspid valve who was unsuitable for any other surgical or invasive treatment. The surgery was performed by the physicians of the Department of Transcatheter Heart Valves of HYGEIA, under the direction of Dr. Konstantinos Spargias. 

The new method of percutaneous tricuspid valve implantation is performed without surgery and incisions, but with a catheter from the femoral vein, offering a minimal risk alternative treatment to selected patients, with benefits both in their clinical condition and in their quality of life. It is worth noting that tricuspid valve insufficiency is the second most common valve disease in the developed world, and these patients rarely undergo repair or replacement surgery because the risk of surgery is high and the results uncertain. 

Dr. Konstantinos Spargias, Interventional Cardiologist, Director of the Department of Transcatheter Heart Valves of HYGEIA, stresses: “The method of heterotopic tricuspid valve implantation (TricValve, OrbusNeich P&F) received European Union approval in 2021 and has since been applied in about 1,000 patients worldwide. Its studies have demonstrated significant symptom remission and improvement in patients’ quality of life accompanied by improvements in many cardiac function and performance parameters. This method offers a relatively simple and harmless treatment option for patients where surgery is considered high-risk and percutaneous clip repair is deemed ineffective.“ 

The Department of Transcatheter Heart Valves of HYGEIA of HYGEIA, offers comprehensive and reliable treatment of all heart valve diseases with transcatheter methods. The Department’s physicians have introduced in Greece all the now well-established percutaneous valve procedures, such as Aortic valve implantation (TAVI), mitral and tricuspid valve repair with clips (MitraClip, Pascal) and mitral and tricuspid valve implantation, making the Department of Percutaneous Valves of HYGEIA a Centre of Reference and Training at a global level.