According to a press release issued by the hospital, a team of doctors led by Dr Vivek Jawali and Dr C N Manjunath, who is the brother-in-law of  Kumaraswamy, which conducted several tests has found that the cause for chest pain of the former chief minister is “severe calcific aortic valve stenosis.”

According to the hospital authorities, the surgery, which would be started early in the morning, would take about five hours to complete.

Calcific aortic valve stenosis is a valvular heart decease which occur when protein collagen gets destroyed and calcium is deposited on the valve leaflets. This causes the scarring, thickness and eventual narrowing of the heart valves, resulting in aortic stenosis, said Dr Mudit Saxena, Head, Operations (Non-clinical service) of the Wockhardt Hospital.

The aortic valve is on the left side of the heart and is the outflow valve. This valve opens to allow blood to leave the left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart) and closes to prevent blood from leaking backwards into the ventricle from the rest of the body.

Meanwhile, medical experts said generally calcific aortic valve stenosis was found among aged persons.

It can also occur at an earlier age occasionally due to blood stream infection which becomes cause for calcific aortic valve stenosis, The infection is called bacterial endocarditis.

According to experts, artificial aortic valve could cost between Rs 40,000 and Rs 8 lakh depending upon the quality, material used and cost of import.

UNIQUE PRAYER

Meanwhile, Mr Zameer Ahmed Khan, former minister and a close confidant of Mr Kumaraswamy, has decided to sponsor 20 coronary angiograms, four open heart surgeries and three angioplast procedures that are scheduled for Thursday at Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology.

Mr Zameer said he decided to pay for the surgeries of people below poverty line as a unique way to pray the God for the good health of his friend (Kumaraswamy). He said the hospital has not yet informed him about the cost involved in these 27 medical cases but has informed the hospital authorities that he would bear the expenses.