Metro Detroit 85-year-old becomes the first in Western Hemisphere to get new heart valve procedure

DETROIT (FOX 2) - At 85 years old, Frank Konjarevich is a first.

"I can’t tell you how happy I am," he said.

The retired shoe and handbag repair business owner wasn’t feeling well thanks to heart valve disease.

But the cardiology team at Henry Ford Health used a new technology to help repair what’s also known as a leaky heart valve disease .

"People here at this hospital, they've been miracle workers for me," he said,

The procedure was performed at Henry Ford in Detroit by Dr Pedro Engel Gonzalez and Drs. Brian and William O’Neill.

"It’s the first one performed in the whole Western Hemisphere," said Dr. Gonzalez.  "And with a K-clip device, we can actually grab a lot of the tissue and make the valve smaller so in fact, it gets less leaky."

Doctors say this procedure can be a lifesaver for a patient who may be too weak or elderly like Frank to receive open-heart surgery.

"They were able to in one attempt make a small incision in the patient’s neck in less than one hour shrink the size of the patient’s heart around that area which is incredible to watch," said Dr. Dee Dee Wang, Structural Heart Imaging, Henry Ford Health.

The cardiology team at Henry Ford looked overseas to help bring this technology to the US.

"Reach out to a device company that had promising technology outside the US, get it approved by the FDA here, for this particular case," Gonzalez said.

Today, surrounded by his daughter and wife, Frank has a new lease on life - saying he felt better right after the surgery.

"I was up and at it the next morning and I went home the next day," Frank said. "I was awestruck by the whole thing, especially after the operation, and everything went so well it just brought emotional tears to my eyes because I was still happy."

If you would like to learn more about this procedure go HERE.

Dr. Pedro Engel Gonzalez, left, and Frank Konjarevich.