A first in Lebanese cardiac surgery

A first in Lebanese cardiac surgery: David's operation to replace the ascending aorta while preserving the native aortic valve!

The Department of Cardiac Surgery at Hôtel-Dieu de France is proud to announce the completion of a surgical operation that constitutes a first in Lebanon, carried out by a Lebanese medical-surgical team from HDF. Cardiac surgeon Dr. Ziad Khabbaz and his team pioneered this successful operation.

The “David” operation, first described in 1992 by Professor Tyrone David of the University of Toronto, aims to repair aneurysms of the ascending aorta as it exits the heart (Sinus of Valsalva), while preserving and, if necessary, repairing the native aortic valve.

Prior to this technical advance, and still today, the majority of cardiac surgery centers worldwide perform simultaneous replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta via Bentall surgery, which involves the use of a double valve and aortic prosthesis.

One of the main advantages of David's technique is that it avoids the need to implant a valve prosthesis, whether mechanical or biological, each of which is associated with a set of complications.

Among these, endocarditis (infection of the valve prosthesis) is particularly formidable. What's more, the biological prosthesis has a limited lifespan (10 to 20 years, depending on the patient's age), which may necessitate a complex and high-risk second operation. On the other hand, mechanical valve prostheses require lifelong anticoagulant treatment, which can also cause major problems.

Hôtel-Dieu de France and its entire medical-surgical team, which includes cardiac surgeons, anaesthetists, cardiologists and nursing staff, are delighted with this achievement and look forward to welcoming all patients who can benefit from this innovative technique.