King Albert II of Belgium has undergone two successful heart procedures in the past couple of weeks. The first was on 19 April with the Belgian Royal Palace saying that it had been successful. A second surgery, which was said to be a minimally invasive procedure, took place on 30 April; the 83-year-old King had a new valve put in place.
The procedures took place at the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels with the multidisciplinary team of the cardiovascular department leading the operations.
The Belgian Royal Palace’s press release stated in part:
“His Majesty King Albert II has been suffering from coronary artery disease for several years, for which he underwent bypass surgery in 2002. A recent cardiological assessment, however, showed a progression of the coronary arteries and the appearance, upstream of them, of a significant stenosis of the aortic valve.
“Supported by the multidisciplinary team of the cardiovascular department of Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, King Albert II first benefited from a coronary angioplasty, with the establishment of a stent at the level of the anterior interventricular artery which is one of the main nourishing arteries of the heart.
“Following this first successful procedure on 19 April, King Albert II received a replacement for his aortic valve, which was made percutaneously transfemoral on 30 April. During this second minimally invasive procedure, called TAVI, the new valve was put in place, at the exit of the heart, without opening the thorax.”
Albert’s surgeries were without complications. He has since been released and is recovering at home at Belvédère Palace with his wife, Queen Paola.
The Royal Palace announced on 19 April that His Majesty was to undergo testing to determine treatment for the narrowing of a heart valve. He stayed one night in hospital.
Belgium’s former monarch was born on 6 June 1934 as the son of King Leopold III and Queen Astrid. He came to the throne after the death of his older brother, King Baudouin in 1993. He reigned until his abdication, due to ill health, on 21 July 2013.
