Hyenas and lions
Surely species are on the road to extinction when they are no longer able to adapt sufficiently to survive in a changing environment. But friends are important, and a good evolutionary deal is a symbiotic relationship, where two organisms can exist mutually reliant on each other for food. It’s much worse to be in a relationship like hyenas to lions where two animals feed on the same source but with the hyena relying on the lion for food.
Ok, so surgical revascularisation rates are down and percutaneous coronary intervention rates are on the rise, but don’t worry, there’s always aortic valve surgery, the second most commonly performed operation in cardiac surgery?
Hate to burst your bubble, but read it and weep, 50 percutaneous valve implants for aortic stenosis, regurgitation and failed prosthetic valves.
Ah ha! You may exclaim that the founder of CoreValve is a cardiac surgeon. He may have been involved in the development of the percutaneous valve! So, we will be able to participate in this new technology? Sure, all we need is for suitable patients to be referred for…. Oh! they already are experts in percutaneous interventions...