2023-04-30 23:38:53
The annual number of percutaneous aortic valve replacements carried out by means of a catheter (TAVI) and not an operation, reimbursed by INAMI, will increase from 500 to 1,500 from May 1, announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs Social and Public Health, Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit).
The valves, essential for the proper functioning of the heart, can end up malfunctioning. In this case, they sometimes have to be replaced in principle via surgery. This would represent approximately 3000 operations per year. Some patients who cannot be operated on (high risk, too old, etc.) are offered a less invasive and less risky alternative: percutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVI). According to the Minister of Public Health, this intervention represents added therapeutic value for patients who cannot be operated on. A randomized clinical study showed significantly better survival up to five years in this group, as well as a reduction in hospitalizations.
Reimbursement by INAMI is reserved for patients meeting one of the two criteria (inoperable or high risk). “It has been determined that the current maximum number of reimbursements is not sufficient to cover all inoperable or high-risk patients requiring percutaneous intervention. I am making the decision to increase this number to allow each patient to have access to the care they need. This is my priority“, commented Frank Vandenbroucke.
In order to guarantee quality and safety, a certain number of reimbursement conditions are also provided for the implant, on the proposal of the Commission for the Reimbursement of Implants and Invasive Medical Devices. Thus, the number of hospitals where this device can be placed is limited to centers that can demonstrate minimal experience in terms of implantation, and which allow multidisciplinary consultation between doctors from the different specialties concerned.
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