St. Luke’s Medical Center Celebrates 300th TAVR Milestone
St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City recently gathered patients, doctors, and the teams of the Heart Institute, CathLab and Center for Structural Heart and Vascular Interventions (CSHVI) to celebrate a landmark achievement: the completion of over 300 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures.
Since introducing TAVR to the Philippines in 2012, St. Luke’s has maintained its leadership in minimally invasive heart care. Dr. Fabio Enrique Posas, who pioneered the procedure in the country, emphasized that the milestone represents "300 opportunities to provide life-changing care without the need for traditional open-heart surgery". During the event, Dr. Posas noted that their goal remains ensuring world-class cardiac care is available locally so "no one would have to travel abroad".
Dr. Fabio Enrique Posas, who performed the first-ever TAVR procedure in the Philippines in 2012, now celebrates a milestone 300 cases, further cementing St. Luke's Medical Center's leadership in world-class cardiac care.
Dr. Dennis P. Serrano, President and CEO of St. Luke’s Medical Center, praised the team's evolution, describing Dr. Posas as a "maven" who saw the future of cardiac care when it was still doubted by many. "It is not about the numbers," Dr. Serrano remarked. "It is about what we have achieved in terms of changing lives—improving outlooks and giving patients more time with their loved ones". He added, "the success is measured not in numbers, but in the graduations and family reunions patients can now attend."
The highlight of the day was the testimonies of those who lived the journey. Former San Juan Congressman Ronaldo B. Zamora, the program’s 285th patient, shared his dramatic transformation. "I lost 100 pounds... and I lost the inability to walk during trips abroad," he remarked, calling the procedure a "life-saver and life-changer".
Equally inspiring was the 300th patient, Mr. Dionisio "Jun" Gil, Jr. An 83-year-old business leader and cancer survivor, Mr. Gil was remarkably up and about just one week after his surgery. "How quick a recovery is that?" he told the audience, crediting his "new life and new heart" to the team’s expertise.
The celebration also highlighted St. Luke’s expanding portfolio, including MitraClip and robotic cardiac surgery, ensuring every patient receives the most appropriate, individualized treatment. This milestone reaffirms St. Luke’s mission of delivering clinical excellence through collaborative "Systems of Care" involving a multidisciplinary medical team, and departments including ancillary services, nursing, admission and discharge, to provide the best possible patient experience.
As St. Luke’s continues to innovate and expand its cardiac services, this milestone reaffirms its mission to provide world-class, minimally invasive heart care right here in the Philippines.
