Sarawak Heart Centre achieves Borneo first with landmark transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation

By DayakDaily Team KUCHING, July 17: Sarawak Heart Centre has successfully performed the first-ever Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Implantation (TPVI) in Borneo, marking a significant breakthrough in cardiovascular care in East Malaysia and becoming the second Ministry of Health (MOH) hospital in the country to offer the highly specialised procedure. The landmark achievement represents a major step forward in expanding access to advanced structural heart interventions for patients in Sarawak and the wider Borneo region, reducing the need for travel to Peninsular Malaysia for specialised treatment. Sarawak Heart Centre emphasised that the availability of TPVI in Sarawak is expected to benefit patients by providing a less invasive treatment option that can lead to faster recovery, shorter hospital stays and improved quality of life. “The successful introduction of TPVI reflects the dedication and expertise of our multidisciplinary team, whose commitment and teamwork made this achievement possible,” the centre said in a post shared on its social media on Thursday (July 16). TPVI is a minimally invasive procedure used to replace a dysfunctional pulmonary valve without the need for open-heart surgery. The technique is commonly performed on patients with congenital heart disease who have previously undergone corrective surgery and later require pulmonary valve replacement. The centre said the successful introduction of TPVI was made possible through a close collaboration with the expert team from Serdang Hospital. The partnership saw specialists from both institutions working together to perform the procedure, highlighting the importance of knowledge sharing and inter-hospital cooperation within the MOH healthcare network. The centre said the milestone reflects the ministry’s ongoing commitment to strengthening advanced cardiac services nationwide and ensuring patients have access to the latest treatment options regardless of geographical location. “The successful procedure was the result of the collective efforts of a multidisciplinary team comprising paediatric cardiologists, anaesthesiologists, nurses, radiographers and supporting healthcare personnel,” it added. Sarawak Heart Centre reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access to advanced cardiovascular care through innovation and continuous service improvement for the people of Sarawak and beyond. The centre also expressed its appreciation to all healthcare professionals involved in the achievement, describing the successful procedure as another step forward in pushing the boundaries of excellence in cardiac care. — DayakDaily