Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Lourdes Cardiothoracic Surgeon Performs First TAVR in Pakistan
  • USA - English


News provided by

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center

Apr 30, 2015, 14:45 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Atiq Rehman, MD, FACS, Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at Lourdes, recently performed the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in Pakistan.
Atiq Rehman, MD, FACS, Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at Lourdes, recently performed the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in Pakistan.

Camden, NJ (PRWEB) April 30, 2015 -- Atiq Rehman, MD, FACS, Director of Surgery for Transcatheter Valve Therapy & Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, recently performed the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in Pakistan.

TAVR is used to treat aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve that limits blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. Some people with aortic stenosis are at high risk for conventional open-heart surgery due to age and other medical conditions.

"By building a program, we can help thousands of high-risk patients get the full care they need, and it’s minimally invasive, which allows for a faster recovery and return to patients’ normal lives.” - Dr. Atiq Rehman

Post this

A nationally known innovator in cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Rehman led a team of local doctors performing the procedure on an 82-year-old woman on March 29 at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology/National Institute of Heart Diseases in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad. While the hospital is a high-volume heart center, doctors and staff there have little exposure to minimally invasive cardiac options like TAVR.

“I want to build an indigenous program so people will not have to travel abroad to get TAVR or other valve surgery,” said Dr. Rehman, who graduated from Aga Khan University School of Medicine, in Karachi, Pakistan. “I could go and spend a week doing minimally invasive aortic and mitral valve replacements, but what happens when I leave? By building a program, we can help thousands of high-risk patients get the full care they need, and it’s minimally invasive, which allows for a faster recovery and return to patients’ normal lives.”

TAVR permits patients to receive a new aortic valve without making a large chest incision. Similar to how a stent is placed in an artery, the TAVR procedure delivers a fully collapsible Edwards Sapien aortic heart valve into the body using a catheter inserted in the femoral artery (transfemoral TAVR) or between the ribs (transapical or transaortic TAVR). In both cases, the device the inserted inside the existing valve. As the device is expanded, it pushes the old valve’s leaflets aside and takes over regulating blood flow. The procedure is performed without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.

Preparation for Pakistan’s first TAVR took about three months, including staff conducting online training, assembling equipment, performing simulated surgeries and selecting the right patient.

The March 29 surgery took 90 minutes—about the same amount of time as in the United States. The patient spent a week in the hospital and has a positive outlook, said Dr. Rehman, who also serves as Lourdes Director for Quality and Performance Improvement.

In Pakistan, about 90 percent of valve surgeries are due to heart damage caused by rheumatic heart disease, explained Dr. Rehman. Patients are younger than in the United States, and sometimes require multiple surgeries. Health insurance is rare in Pakistan, and many patients pay for hospital stays in cash.

In general, TAVR patients benefit immediately from the new valve, with many feeling greater stamina, physical capacity and cardiovascular health. Patients may go home two to three days after surgery. Recovery takes only a few weeks, compared to many months associated with conventional open-heart surgery.

“Men in Pakistan are often the sole breadwinners, so keeping them out of work for two or three months is unacceptable. For women, a large, mid-line scar becomes a social issue,” said Dr. Rehman. “Affordable, minimally invasive procedures improve quality of life beyond what we may see here in the States.”

Dr. Rehman partnered with the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology two years ago to develop that nation’s first minimally invasive heart surgery program. Minimally invasive approaches result in less pain, less blood loss, reduced risk of infection, shorter time in the hospital, quicker recovery and smaller, less noticeable scars.

During trips to Pakistan, Dr. Rehman performed and trained physicians there on aortic and mitral valve surgeries. He plans on returning to Pakistan in about six months to help sustain the TAVR program and introduce new procedures.

“It’s very challenging, but gratifying,” said Dr. Rehman. “It’s a complex procedure, and you don’t have your own team. You are working with new people. But that’s the fun of it. The challenge is the fun.”

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center is one of the leading TAVR centers in the region, with among the best patient outcomes in the state.

About Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center
Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center is a 325-bed destination hospital for heart care. It is consistently recognized for quality care by leading health ratings organizations for outstanding cardiovascular care. In 2015, Lourdes was honored by Healthgrades as one of the 50 Best Hospitals in America for Cardiac Surgery and by Truven Health Analytics as one of the nation’s 50 top hospitals for overall cardiovascular care.

Jennifer McGowan-Smith, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, http://www.lourdesnet.org, +1 (267) 221-3648, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.