Miami-based Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute became the first known pediatric program in Florida, and one of few globally, to perform the Ozaki procedure for pulmonary valve repair in children.
The technique reconstructs the patient’s heart valve using their own pericardial tissue, offering a potential alternative to mechanical valve replacement. The institute also uses the Ozaki technique for aortic valve repair in pediatric patients, according to a Jan. 5 news release from Nicklaus Children’s.
The approach may offer advantages such as improved valve durability, lower complication risks and the possibility of growth as the child matures, the release said.
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