Twenty years ago, Cabrini cardiac patient Graham would have been facing open-heart surgery for his leaky heart valve. But thanks to a clever piece of equipment – a transoesophageal echocardiogram (TOE) ultrasound and probe – our cardiac team was able to repair his valve through keyhole surgery.

A few days later, the 84-year-old great-grandfather was recovering at home.

“Without this TOE procedure, I never would have known that I had a leaky valve and what the consequences could have been – a heart attack out of the blue,” Graham said. “I’m very grateful.”

This year’s Cabrini Foundation Christmas Appeal hopes to raise $250,000 for the purchase of a second TOE ultrasound and probe, which will be used in our new Cardiac Catheter Lab (CCL), set to open next year.

The equipment will allow our cardiologists, surgeons and anaesthetists the detailed, real-time imaging they need to guide complex cardiac procedures safely and precisely.

Equipping this space with its own TOE ultrasound and probe is critical for patients like Graham, cardiologist Dr Mark Freilich said.

“At his age, open-heart surgery would have put him at significant risk of dying,” Dr Freilich said. “The only other option would have been life-long medication, but that would put him at risk of developing heart failure down the track.

“Using the TOE, Graham was out of hospital in a few days and back on his feet much quicker.”

Cabrini is also set to benefit from the purchase of a second TOE.

“The main growth area in cardiology over the next 20 years is going to be structural heart interventions – being able to better repair and replace valves through keyhole rather than open heart surgery,” Dr Freilich said.

“But right now, we have to borrow the TOE ultrasound and probe from the electrophysiology lab where they treat abnormal heart rhythms. This means we’re unable to grow this service because we’re limited by only having one TOE.”

Learn more about Cabrini Foundation’s Christmas Appeal, and how to donate.