BOSTON -- There's a new procedure in heart valve replacement that does not require open-heart surgery.

It could help tens of thousands of people who are high-risk and who are not candidates for traditional open surgery. There's only one New England hospital using it.

Minimally Invasive Heart Valve Procedure In Clinical Trial

Robert Shaw has been through two open-heart surgeries. He survived colon cancer that metastasized into his lungs.

Last August, Shaw became one of the first patients at Massachusetts General Hospital to undergo an innovative new procedure to replace his damaged heart valve.

"I couldn't carry on a normal conversation like this. And just walking a block, I would be huffing and puffing," Shaw said.

Shaw is part of a clinical trial at MGH designed for patients who have aortic stenosis, the most common type of heart valve problem in the elderly population. Many of these patients are not candidates for open-heart surgery, because of the risks.

Instead of opening Shaw's chest, Dr. Arvind Agnihotri, a cardiac surgeon for MassGeneral Hospital, was part of the team that replaced the valve using a catheter-based approach.

"The operation isn't as big or stressful for the body," said Agnihotri.

The new valve is inserted through a small incision near the groin using a balloon delivery catheter. It's fed through an artery into the heart.

"Then a balloon is inserted inside the valve to expand it, and that unfurls the valve and allows it to function like a normal valve," Agnihotri said.

Agnihotri said the treatment is less risky than traditional open-heart surgery and the recovery time is quicker.

"Most patients feel better a few days after the procedure, and the recovery outside of the hospital is much more rapid," he said.

Shaw could not believe how quickly he was back on his feet.

"I was out of the hospital in two and a half days, and walked out of the hospital," Shaw said.