Pisa hospital performs world-first beating heart valve replacement

Medical teams at Aoup in Pisa have successfully performed a world-first innovative cardiothoracic procedure to replace a degenerated mitral valve bioprosthesis in a 70-year-old high-risk patient.

The surgery was conducted on a beating heart without opening the chest, utilizing minimal endoscopic incisions. By leveraging real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic visualization, the surgical team was able to completely remove the compromised valve leaflets and simultaneously position a new prosthesis using conventional cardiothoracic instrumentation.

The procedure was made possible through the multidisciplinary collaboration of the hospital’s Heart Team, which included cardiothoracic surgeons, interventional cardiologists, anesthesiologists, technicians, and nurses. The technique has been published in scientific journals and is expected to pave the way for more personalized medical procedures and specialized equipment for complex cases. Nine months after the operation, the patient remains in optimal clinical condition.