"God put Dr. Araya in my path." This is how María Emilia Palacios explains how she came to have a percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The technically-challenging procedure was performed by a Clínica Alemana team led by Dr. Mario Araya, a specialist in hemodynamic cardiology, to treat Maria Emilias aortic stenosis. This is the most frequent valve lesion in the elderly, affecting 15% of all senior citizens in the United States.

The clinical team included members of Clínica Alemana's interventional cardiology, heart surgery, cardiovascular anesthesia, clinical cardiology, cardiovascular radiology and echocardiography units.

The 83-year-old grandmother of ten became the first person in America to undergo implantation of the Edwards Sapiens XT bovine pericardial tissue valve, the most modern version in the region.

The main advantage of this procedure is that it is performed percutaneously and the damaged valve can be replaced without the need for surgery. There is less risk involved for patients, less time spent in the hospital and a speedier recovery. Thus, it is a viable alternative for open heart surgery.

Because of her advanced age, Maria Emilia could not undergo surgery. Therefore, Dr. Araya decided to include her in the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Program that Clínica Alemana has been implementing for the past two years.