St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City marks a significant milestone for its cardiovascular services, having successfully completed more than 300 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures.
The achievement solidifies St. Luke’s position as a pioneer and leading provider of TAVR in the country. The hospital introduced the technique in February 2012, when a percutaneous TAVR procedure was performed on an 86-year-old patient. The program is led by Dr. Fabio Enrique Posas, an interventional cardiologist who pioneered the procedure in the Philippines.
“Reaching our 300th TAVR case is more than just a number; it represents our journey of 300 opportunities to provide life-changing care without the need for traditional open-heart surgery,” Posas said. “When we started this journey over a decade ago, our goal was to ensure that this kind of advanced intervention would be made available locally. Today, our outcomes remain at par with the best international institutions.”
TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure designed for patients with severe aortic stenosis—a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve that restricts blood flow. Unlike traditional surgery, TAVR allows doctors to replace the diseased valve with a bioprosthetic valve through a small catheter, usually inserted via the groin or wrist.
The approach eliminates the need for large chest incisions and general anesthesia, resulting in significantly shorter recovery times. TAVR has also proven to be a viable option for elderly or high-risk patients who are ineligible for open-heart surgery.
The 300th milestone follows the recent launch of the St. Luke’s Center for Structural Heart and Vascular Interventions (CSHVI), a facility equipped to manage complex heart diseases through nonsurgical means. Beyond TAVR, the center plans to venture into other minimally invasive cardiac techniques.
