In a medical first for the cardiology department at San Luca Hospital in Lucca, physicians successfully performed a life-saving aortic valvuloplasty on a 90-year-old woman whose critical condition made traditional surgery impossible.
The patient was admitted on April 29, 2026, in a state of advanced shock. She was suffering from severe calcific aortic valve stenosis, a condition that obstructed the proper outflow of blood from the heart. This blockage resulted in persistent circulatory instability and acute respiratory distress.
Due to the patient’s extreme clinical fragility and the severity of her condition, the medical team determined that standard surgical interventions were not a viable option. To save the patient, the cardiology team, led by Francesco Bovenzi, turned to a specialized percutaneous procedure known as aortic valvuloplasty.
This minimally invasive technique is performed under local anesthesia and involves accessing the heart through the skin. Surgeons inserted a catheter via the femoral artery, guiding it to the site of the stenotic valve. Once positioned, a small balloon was inflated to dilate the valve orifice, effectively reopening the passage for blood flow. The process is similar to the angioplasty techniques used to clear obstructions in the coronary arteries.
The successful application of this niche procedure highlights the importance of adaptable, minimally invasive options for elderly or high-risk patients who cannot withstand the trauma of open-heart surgery. By utilizing percutaneous methods, clinicians can provide critical interventions to patients who would otherwise have no surgical recourse.
