New heart valve replacement surgery can be done without open heart surgery

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Heart patients can now get valves replaced without having open heart surgery. The procedure is being done in Milwaukee.

Aurora St. Luke's Hospital is the first hospital in a global clinical trial to replace the "mitral valve" without heart surgery.

Instead, doctors replace it with a transcatheter "intrepid valve."

They call the procedure a breakthrough for patients.

"This is a great opportunity for older folks or higher risk patients to have their valve replaced without having their chest open, a heart-lung machine, or their chest stopped," said Dr. Daniel O'Hair, a Cardiovascular Surgeon with Aurora St. Lukes.

Doctors performed the first procedure on a patient about a month ago and have already done five more.