Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital receives the 2023 Medical Achievement Award

Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital was honored at the 2023 Vietnam Medical Achievement Awards ceremony for the achievement “Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement after Tetralogy of Fallot Repair”. This award aims to recognize the contributions of collectives and individuals and to widely disseminate the medical achievements and works of the Vietnamese healthcare sector, organized by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Radio (VOH) and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health under the theme “Advanced Healthcare Development”.

Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement: Reducing risk, improving treatment quality

In Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital is the first hospital to independently perform the transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement technique on patients with pulmonary valve regurgitation. This technique has been implemented at the hospital since April 2023, carried out entirely by Vietnamese doctors without assistance from foreign experts.

To date, the Hospital has performed percutaneous pulmonary artery valve replacement for 8 cases. After the intervention, patients do not need to stay in intensive care and can be discharged within about 1 - 2 days. Afterwards, patients are scheduled for regular follow-up examinations with close monitoring. Patients receive successful interventions, have no complications, and their quality of life improves markedly.

Prof. Dr. Trương Quang Bình – Former Deputy Director of the Hospital, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart disease characterized by four structural defects in the heart. After surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary valve regurgitation is one of the common natural progressions, causing right ventricular dilation leading to tricuspid regurgitation, right heart failure, arrhythmia, and increased risk of sudden death. Therefore, patients need to be treated for pulmonary valve regurgitation by valve replacement to improve right heart failure, limit the risk of arrhythmia and sudden death. Currently there are two methods for pulmonary valve replacement: open-heart surgery and percutaneous intervention. Among them, the percutaneous valve replacement technique helps patients avoid a second major heart surgery (open surgery) to replace the valve, reducing the risks associated with open surgery. For this reason, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City has pioneered the use of percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement in treating patients.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Đào Anh Quốc – Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Department, University Medical and Pharmacy Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City, with this technique doctors will use a metal frame shaped like a blood vessel (stent), on which an artificial heart valve is mounted, all miniaturized into a catheter. The catheter is threaded from a large blood vessel in the thigh to deliver the device directly to the site of the narrowed pulmonary artery valve. Using a background‑subtracted vascular imaging system, the doctor will guide the device to the narrowed pulmonary artery valve, pushing the artificial valve out of the catheter. Then, the artificial valve expands and functions like a normal heart valve.

The hospital has always been a pioneer in the application of new, specialized techniques.

The transcatheter pulmonary artery valve replacement technique successfully implemented at the University Medical and Pharmacy Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City provides patients with an additional minimally invasive treatment option while still delivering high efficacy. With the hospital’s strong multidisciplinary expertise, patients, especially children, will be monitored and treated through to adulthood, allowing timely diagnosis and intervention for complications affecting health.

Associate Professor, PhD, MD Nguyễn Hoàng Bắc – Director of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City said that every year, all departments of the Hospital always strive to implement many new techniques, including those performed for the first time in Vietnam. With the mission of providing optimal treatment solutions for patients through the integration of treatment, research, and training, the Hospital constantly leads in developing advanced techniques with the motto “Minimal Invasion – Maximum Treatment” to improve treatment effectiveness for patients, helping them recover quickly and reduce hospital stay.

The percutaneous pulmonary artery valve replacement method at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City not only opens a new avenue in treatment but also offers hope for patients with pulmonary valve regurgitation after surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot.

This pioneering effort represents a significant advance in patient management and treatment, providing opportunities for less invasive therapy, reducing surgical risks, shortening hospital stays while still ensuring safety and effectiveness.

In the coming period, the Hospital will continue to promote the percutaneous pulmonary artery valve replacement technique in treating patients and will support training, technology transfer to medical facilities, other centers in Ho Chi Minh City as well as provinces across the country, helping an increasing number of patients to access this advanced method.