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Australia

"Heart valve Monash breakthrough"

Source: ABC News Online

Published: 18 Jun 2012

Category: Surgical Procedure

Rating: (2 stars)

Keywords: heart valve open heart surgery replacement melbourne

what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

In an international coup a hospital in Melbourne's south-east has conducted the first trial of inserting a replacement heart valve without the need for open heart surgery

The original article can be found at: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3527073.htm

how did it rate? (more information)

Criteria	Rating
Total Score	3 of 8
Novelty of Treatment	Satisfactory (?)
Availability of Treatment	Not Satisfactory (?)
Treatment Options	Satisfactory (?)
Disease Mongering	Satisfactory (?)
Evidence	Not Satisfactory (?)
Quantification of Benefits of Treatment	Not Satisfactory (?)
Harms of Treatment	Not Satisfactory (?)
Costs of Treatment	Not Satisfactory (?)
Sources of Information	Not Applicable
Relies on Press Release	Not Applicable

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

This interview discussed a new heart valve replacement procedure which really can be described as a breakthrough. There would be a great deal of interest in this research so it's a shame so much information was lacking. Things people want to know include:
* When will this procedure be available to the general public?
* What's the degree of symptomatic improvement
* How long will the benefits last?
* Are there any potential side effects?
* What's the cost?
* How good is it compared to current open heart surgery?
* Is it for everyone or only the elderly?

None of these questions were addressed and the only evidence was an anecdotal account from one patient.

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