Reoperation due to degenerated bioprostheses is an important factor of high-risk thoracic surgeries. In 2020 ACC/AHA guideline, Valve in Valve (ViV) was recommended for high-risk patient instead of surgical mitral valve replacement. This report described a 77-year-old male patient with a failed mitral bioprosthetic valve, evaluated at high risk of surgery, received a transvenous, transseptal transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). Tracheal intubation was removed at CCU 3 h after surgery without discomfort such as polypnea. The patient was transferred out of the CCU and discharged on the 3rd day. Compared with transapical access, transvenous transseptal access was less invasive, with shorter duration in CCU and hospitalization.
Surgical bioprosthetic valve in the mitral position typically degenerates in 10-15 years, when intervention is required again. In the past, redo surgical mitral valve replacement has been the only treatment choice for such patients suffering from bioprosthetic valve failure, despite the even higher risk associated with redo open-heart surgery. In recent years, transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation in the mitral position has evolved as an reasonable alternative to redo surgery for the treatment of surgical mitral bioprosthetic valve failure. Here we report an 81-year-old female patient with surgical mitral bioprosthetic valve failure, who successfully underwent valve-in-valve transcatheter mitral valve replacement via the transfemoral-transseptal approach. The procedure was successful owing to comprehensive CT imaging work-up, despite the technical challenges associated with bilateral giant atria and small left ventricle.