Pensioner praises life-saving procedure carried out at Clydebank hospital
Bill Cairns thanked the NHS Golden Jubilee team who were behind his transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure which is for patients deemed high risk for conventional open heart surgery.
It is a less invasive alternative to aortic valve replacement surgery and helps reduce symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, and fainting.
It also significantly diminishes the risk of heart failure and death.
Bill, a former farm manager from Lochgilphead, was becoming increasingly breathless during his regular outdoor walks.
He decided to get his health checked, worried it would affect his ability to care for his wife, Pat.
He said: “I love the outdoors and walk regularly, but I was getting more breathless every time so I thought I should go and see about it.
“It was here that they decided that I needed a valve, but that it could be done through the artery, through a TAVI operation.
“It was over in 40 minutes with no pain at all. If I hadn’t been a carer for my wife, I might have just said, ‘oh, I’m fine, it’s just old age’, but because of her I decided to do something about it.
“This means I’m still here for her, so I can’t thank everyone enough for that.”
The TAVI service is provided for patients in the West of Scotland, covering a population of around 2.2 million people.
On average, eight TAVI procedures are performed each week at NHS Golden Jubilee.
Mitchell Lindsay, consultant cardiologist and clinical director for cardiology at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “To hit our 1,000th TAVI procedure is an incredible milestone for our service.
“Bill is just one of the amazing success stories that we have witnessed thanks to the dedication of our team at NHS Golden Jubilee.
“Every life is precious and TAVI is helping keep families and loved ones together, prolonging lives and helping people like Bill stay fit and healthy for them and their loved ones when conventional surgery may not be an option.”
Mark MacGregor, Medical Director at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “NHS Golden Jubilee is always working in collaboration with other health boards to deliver a life-saving service for patients, investing in innovative ways to treat patients effectively, in a person-centred way.”