New hope for high-risk heart patients [Video]

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Turkey hunting is one of Jim Gibson’s favorite things to do, but the 81-year-old Chesapeake man thought his hunting days were done when swollen feet and fatigue due to heart problems made it impossible.

“It’s like taking away your fun things of life,” Gibson said.

In November, Gibson went into heart failure and saw Dr. Matt Summers, an interventional cardiologist at Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk.

“When people get to me, they have six months to a year to live, usually with their health problems, and he was no exception to that,” Summers said.

Due to his age, Gibson was not a candidate for open heart surgery. An alternative procedure, a minimally invasive fix, wouldn’t work, either, because he has a leaky valve.

Lucky for Gibson, Summers and heart surgeon Dr. Clint Kemp are taking part in an FDA trial of a new device that offered Gibson new hope.

The device, called …