TOLEDO, OH (WOWO) Cardiologists in Toledo have completed the area’s first BATMAN heart surgery, providing a new minimally invasive option for patients who cannot undergo open heart surgery.

The procedure, called Balloon-Assisted Translocation of the Mitral Anterior Leaflet, involves inserting multiple catheters to modify the heart’s mitral valve before placing a new tissue valve inside a failing one. The technique requires precise coordination among three cardiologists, including two structural interventional specialists and one performing imaging guidance.

The surgery was performed at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center on a patient with multiple comorbidities who could not undergo traditional open heart surgery. Doctors report the procedure was successful and the patient was discharged after three days.

“This allows us to safely insert a new valve while reducing risks by modifying tissues inside the heart,” said Dr. Anas Norman, a structural interventional cardiologist. He and colleague Dr. Mohammad Taleb performed the procedure with a third doctor managing imaging.

BATMAN has been in practice for about four years and has been conducted at fewer than a dozen medical centers nationwide. The successful procedure marks the first time it has been performed in the Toledo area, WTVG reports.