No cutting the heart for valve implant

Three patients, all above 70 years, underwent a rare treatment, to implant a valve in their heart at a hospital in Delhi.

The technique, which was performed first time in India, can be conducted on patients for whom opening of chest and heart could prove to be fatal.

In Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)  procedure, a replacement valve is implanted in heart through the groin in an angioplasty-like manner.

The procedure can be performed with local anaesthesia and the patient is discharged soon after the surgery, unlike in conventional surgery.

The government of India allows the procedure to be conducted but has not given commercial approval. The patients' families had to get permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) for TAVI treatment.

“The DCGI approves this procedure on case-to-case basis depending on the seriousness of the patient,” said Dr Ashok Seth, chairman, cardiac sciences, Fortis Escorts Heart institute, who led the team of doctors which performed TAVI on all the three.

Aklo Devi, 73 already had a bypass surgery and it was impossible to stitch her artery once opened. This would have led to excessive bleeding, putting her life in danger. Similarly, Prithvi Nath Mehra, 80, had lung problems and could not bear to stay on heart-lung machine during conventional surgery.

The 78-year-old third patient had risk of heart stroke if his chest and heart were opened.