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My heart strings are made from Gore-Tex

(Daily Express 11/08/2009)

Graham, 32, is one of only a handful of patients in the UK to have had tiny strips of Gore-Tex sewn into his heart to fix a faulty valve. It has found its way into a range of medical uses, from heart surgery to lip augmentation. Its flexibility and porous structure make it ideal for use inside the body. Graham, from Guildford in Surrey, underwent surgery to replace missing heart strings, tiny cord-like tendons that open and close a valve in the right side of his heart that were damaged at birth.

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Hospital recalls heart patients

(BBC 23/07/2009)

A hospital has recalled 14 people who have had heart valve surgery after three patients died from an infection. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust contacted the patients, who all underwent the procedure at the Trent Cardiac Centre at the City Hospital. A trust spokesman said the three who died were among eight patients who had the surgery who went on to develop staphylococcal skin infections. He said the other 14 were at low risk but had been recalled as a precaution.

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Keyhole for old artificial valves

(BBC 06/04/2009)

Doctors in the UK say they have for the first time used keyhole surgery to replace an old prosthetic heart valve. The technique has already provided new valves for those too ill for open heart surgery, but this is the first time a replacement has itself been replaced. The procedure means elderly patients effectively have a second roll of the dice if their replacement valve fails.

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