Revolution in the heart sector: Minimal interventions save lives in Vienna!

Revolution in the heart sector: Minimal interventions save lives in Vienna!

In Vienna, medicine has taken a significant step forward. On June 18, 2025, the MedUni Vienna and the Vienna General Hospital carried out a fully minimally invasive mitral valve replacement via the groin for the first time in Austria. This innovative procedure gave two patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation, including one with a congenital heart defect and multiple previous surgeries, the hope of a new quality of life. Given the current medical situation, traditional surgical procedures could not be carried out. The new method represents a milestone, especially for high-risk patients for whom common procedures often do not offer a solution.

With the purely transfemoral access technique, the treatment takes place in two steps: First, a “docking system” is anchored before the new heart valve is inserted via a catheter. This requires a deep understanding of cardiac anatomy as well as careful multidisciplinary planning that includes the commitment of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists and nurses. Within a few days, both patients were discharged in a stable condition, which underlines the rapid recovery phase. This technique could establish itself as a new standard therapy in the long term once current long-term data are analyzed.

A new era in cardiac surgery

Carrying out mitral valve replacement via the groin not only represents progress for heart medicine in Vienna, but also joins the ranks of minimally invasive procedures that have become more important in recent years. As the Clinic for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Augsburg reports, such interventions are considered the gold standard, especially in aortic valve operations, where narrowing of the aortic valve is often the reason for the need for an intervention. The aortic valve is replaced in a minimally invasive manner to support heart and lung function during the procedure and minimize the risk.

The choice between mechanical and biological valve prostheses is an important aspect that is discussed individually between doctors and patients. Mechanical valves require lifelong use of blood thinners, while biological valves, which are made of animal tissue, only require low doses of acetylsalicylic acid. For young and physically active patients, the Ross operation, in which the patient's own pulmonary valve is used, offers an excellent alternative.

Consequences of mitral valve regurgitation

A common course of the disease with mitral valve insufficiency is shortness of breath, heart failure and, as a result, permanent organ damage. The severity of this disease often only becomes apparent in later stages, which is why early diagnoses and innovative therapeutic approaches such as the method now being carried out in Vienna are of central importance. In many cases, the treatment also requires a simultaneous procedure on the tricuspid valve, which can also be affected by incorrect ventilation.

With this remarkable development, Vienna is positioning itself as one of the international centers that has extensive experience in minimally invasive catheter-based procedures. It is expected that advances in the coming years will not only improve patients' quality of life, but also set new standards in cardiac surgery.

For further information on minimally invasive valve operations and the different types of valve prostheses, those interested can visit the [MedUni Vienna]. Augsburg](https://www.uk-augsburg.de/institutions/kliniken/klinik-fuer-herz-und-thoraxchirurgie/herzchirurgie/minimalinvasive-herzklappenoperationen-reconstruction-substitution) and Heart Surgery Cologne.