VIDEO: VGH cardiac team makes history

When 79-year-old Max Morton walked into VGH with chest pain and shortness of breath, he had no way of knowing he was about to become the first patient in North America to undergo a revolutionary new procedure.

Fortunately for Max, VGH is part of the Centre for Heart Valve Innovation — which also includes St. Paul’s Hospital — and a world leader in minimally-invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in high-risk patients. Although TAVR procedures had been performed hundreds of times in the two hospitals, it had never been attempted on an unstable, critically ill patient such as Max — anywhere in North America.

Max was wheeled into the cardiac catheterization laboratory where, with the help of advanced imaging, anesthesia, perfusion and multiple allied health care professionals, Drs. David Wood, John Webb, and Richard Cook replaced Max’s failed aortic valve through an artery in his leg in less than 20 minutes.

Watch the video and read the full story in The Vancouver Sun.

A team effort (l to r): Dr. John Webb; patient Max Morton; Dr. David Wood; Sandra Lauck; Eleanor Triana; Andrew Busch; Catherine Doll and Adrian David (kneeling in front).