Four patients have undergone new valve implant surgery that has helped them avoid invasive open-heart surgery, say doctors at a Montreal hospital that is among five in the world certified to perform the procedure.

Cardiologists at the McGill University Health Centre performed the procedure on two adults and two teens this month.

The treatment, called percutaneous valve therapy, is used to treat narrowing or leaking pulmonary valves. It involves replacing a valve between the heart and lungs with one created from a cow's jugular vein.

"This is truly a minimally invasive procedure that avoids long-term hospital stays and post–operative complications that may result from traditional open-heart surgery," said Dr. Joe Martucci, who performed the procedures along with Dr. Adrian Dancea earlier this month. 

"In effect, patients can have this procedure done in about two hours and return to their normal routines within 24 to 48 hours," he said.

Fourteen-year-old Martin Friolet-Perrault, who had open-heart surgeries at ages two and 10, was among the Montreal implant recipients.

"I do a slalom course and now its incredible," Friolet-Perrault said. "I finish my course and I'm not really tired at the end." 

Unlike open-heart surgery, the 90-minute procedure is done through a five-millimetre incision in the groin area. The biomechanical valve is compressed inside a catheter that is pushed through an artery in the leg up to the heart, where the valve opens up as the catheter is pulled out.

Since the valve used in the procedure has only been around for a few months, doctors aren't sure how long it will last.

The technology only applies to one of the four valves in the heart, meaning it won't immediately become a standard procedure for heart patients who need a replacement part.

"The procedure can significantly delay the need for open-heart surgery and greatly reduce the life-long morbidity associated with some heart malformations," said Dancea.