Ernst Spalinger has regained confidence in his heart. After tricuspid valve surgery, his fear and shortness of breath are gone. The eyes of Ernst Spalinger, 81, light up when he talks about his former work as a master gardener. Together with his wife Monica, he fulfilled his dream of running his own business. She ran the office and kept his back free. He built gardens and took care of their maintenance. He was particularly fond of the gardens of villas. “These spacious grounds with their time-honored trees have a very special aura.”

Regained confidence in his own heart

This heart beat reliably in his chest for over two decades until a problem arose last year. “I was getting less air when I ran. It was particularly difficult uphill. We were in Toggenburg when I stopped to sit on a bench. My wife immediately realized that something was wrong.” Ernst Spalinger had water in his legs and thought of thrombosis. “At the Hirslanden Heart Clinic in Zurich, I underwent a complete medical examination. Various doctors searched together for the cause, discussed, examined, consulted with each other and discovered that the tricuspid valve – the heart valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle – was no longer closing properly. I was offered a new, gentle surgical option in which the valve is reconstructed using clips in a minimally invasive procedure. I had confidence and said yes straight away.”

First patient with a transplanted heart

The man from Zurich was the first patient with a transplanted heart to have this valve operated on in Switzerland. His wife Monica was amazed: “When I arrived at the Heart Clinic on the same day, my husband was already eating lunch. The next day he was enjoying an ice cream in the clinic’s garden and five days after the operation he was already back home.”

The procedure went perfectly. “It’s a miracle for me! I feel better in my head, I feel better when I breathe and I’m free of all the fears I always had because of my condition,” says Ernst Spalinger. “I have enough breathing reserves again when running uphill. And you know what? With this renewed tricuspid valve, I even survived a herniated vertebra. I am simply grateful.”

A milestone for heart valve patients – Interview with Prof. Dr. Corti

Prof. Dr. Roberto Corti is a pioneer in gentle heart valve surgery.

What is this new method?

Previously, a major open heart surgery was required to operate on the tricuspid valve. Now it can be done via a catheter that is inserted through the groin. We proceed in the same way as with the mitral valve. My team successfully introduced this new technique with the implantation of clips in Switzerland more than ten years ago.

What is its advantage over open heart surgery?

There is no need to open the chest and no heart-lung machine is required. This is very gentle on the patient, the hospital stay is much shorter and rehabilitation is rarely necessary. Patients can return home after just a few days.

For whom is this method suitable?

It is a particularly good alternative when conventional open heart surgery is too risky due to other pre-existing conditions or old age.

The team of heart specialists makes the difference

The Hirslanden Heart Clinic Zurich was founded in 2013. Specialists from different areas of cardiac medicine such as cardiac surgery, invasive and non-invasive cardiology and valve imaging have come together under its roof to work successfully as a broad-based HeartTEAM. These specialists are specialized in different treatment methods, weigh all facts and circumstances from different perspectives and always make the decision after a joint discussion. The Hirslanden Heart Clinic Zurich has the largest interdisciplinary valve center of all Swiss private hospitals and is one of the three leading heart valve centers in Switzerland with a focus on minimally invasive treatment.

Source: doktorstutz.ch from November 28, 2019