Successfully done a TAVI ( Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation ) procedure on a high risk 82 year old woman with an Indian valve By Dr.S Nagendra Boopathy
Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre has successfully done a TAVI ( Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation ) procedure on a high risk 82 year old woman with an Indian valve.
Open heart valve surgeries have always been considered the only mode of treatment for patients with valvular heart diseases. However, many factors may make a patient be at high risk for the same. With age, the risk worsens prohibiting them from getting any kind of therapy.
When an 82 year old woman, resident of Tamil Nadu was presented to Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, with significant breathing difficulty, she was evaluated by our team of doctors and was diagnosed to have severe aortic stenosis (severe narrowing of the heart valve that separates the left ventricle from the aorta). A Heart team discussed her condition and considering her age and frailty offered an alternative form of therapy, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement or implantation (TAVR/TAVI). TAVI is a minimally invasive technique, where a new valve is implanted across the affected valve by a percutaneous technique through a pin-hole placed in the thigh.
The multidisciplinary team evaluation concluded that the valve implantation might potentially obstruct the blood supply to the heart. Hence, the procedure was planned with precision to stent the vessel in case blood vessel is obstructed. The procedure was done successfully using made in India Hydra Valve (22 mm), by Dr. S. Nagendra Boopathy and team. The stent was not used as there was no obstruction to blood vessel. The patient could be discharged in 4 days on 28.6.2021 and she is doing well.
Incidentally, this is the first time this particular made in India valve was used out-of research purposes in TAVI procedure in Tamil Nadu. Dr. S. Thanikachalam, Chief of the cardiac care centre said that TAVI has become the standard of care for treatment of aortic valve stenosis providing a safe alternative to open heart valve surgeries in appropriately selected elderly patients.
