Doctors: Valve replacements being done without open heart surgeries
TNN | Mar 31, 2019, 04.27 AM IST
Chennai: Replacement of almost all four valves of the heart, especially among patients deemed unfit for surgery, is increasingly being done without an open heart surgery. Backed by results of global studies, doctors say these procedures, like angioplasty, are done in cath labs and offer better outcome and reduce complications, tempting doctors to recommend some of them to even patients with lower risk.
Unlike in developed countries, the non-surgical replacement called ‘transcatheter heart valve replacement’ is yet to take over conventional heart surgeries, because of the cost. While the average cost of an open heart surgery is Rs 5 lakh, the cheapest valve comes for Rs 5 lakh. The cost of imported valves varies between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, says senior cardiac surgeon Dr KM Cherian, chairman & CEO of Frontier Lifeline Hospital.
At present, the only Indian valve available is being used by doctors to replace all the four diseased heart valves. Across the globe, the procedure is widely used to replace the aortic valves. “With its success, we are using the same valve to replace tricuspid, mitral and pulmonary valves. The only problem with the other valves is that unlike the aortic valve, these don’t have space for anchorage. So we use them in patients who have undergone valve replacement at least once. The new valve is sent through a catheter in the groin and placed inside the synthetic valve. Sometimes, we use stents as an anchor,” said interventional cardiologist Dr G Sengottuvelu.
Doctors at Frontier Lifeline recently replaced the pulmonary valve — the one that stops deoxidised blood flowing out of the atrium into the lungs, to return to the heart — using the transcatheter valve replacement.
On Saturday, when a 24-year-old patient had come to the hospital for a check-up after undergoing surgery at the St Gregarious Cardiovascular Centre, Parumala in Kerala, cardiologist Dr Rajaram Anantharaman said she had recovered quickly. “People, like this patient, with congenital heart disease or structural heart disease undergo multiple cardiac surgeries in their lifetime to restore pulmonary blood flow. This results in many health complications. The minimally invasive technology allows them to return home the following day,” he said.
The research wing of the hospital at Dr K M Cherian Heart Foundation, Frontier Mediville Science Park, is working on developing these valves in Chennai’s backyard. “If we do this, we must be able to make this accessible and affordable to most of our patients,” he said.
TNN | Mar 31, 2019, 04.27 AM IST
Chennai: Replacement of almost all four valves of the heart, especially among patients deemed unfit for surgery, is increasingly being done without an open heart surgery. Backed by results of global studies, doctors say these procedures, like angioplasty, are done in cath labs and offer better outcome and reduce complications, tempting doctors to recommend some of them to even patients with lower risk.
Unlike in developed countries, the non-surgical replacement called ‘transcatheter heart valve replacement’ is yet to take over conventional heart surgeries, because of the cost. While the average cost of an open heart surgery is Rs 5 lakh, the cheapest valve comes for Rs 5 lakh. The cost of imported valves varies between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, says senior cardiac surgeon Dr KM Cherian, chairman & CEO of Frontier Lifeline Hospital.
At present, the only Indian valve available is being used by doctors to replace all the four diseased heart valves. Across the globe, the procedure is widely used to replace the aortic valves. “With its success, we are using the same valve to replace tricuspid, mitral and pulmonary valves. The only problem with the other valves is that unlike the aortic valve, these don’t have space for anchorage. So we use them in patients who have undergone valve replacement at least once. The new valve is sent through a catheter in the groin and placed inside the synthetic valve. Sometimes, we use stents as an anchor,” said interventional cardiologist Dr G Sengottuvelu.
Doctors at Frontier Lifeline recently replaced the pulmonary valve — the one that stops deoxidised blood flowing out of the atrium into the lungs, to return to the heart — using the transcatheter valve replacement.
On Saturday, when a 24-year-old patient had come to the hospital for a check-up after undergoing surgery at the St Gregarious Cardiovascular Centre, Parumala in Kerala, cardiologist Dr Rajaram Anantharaman said she had recovered quickly. “People, like this patient, with congenital heart disease or structural heart disease undergo multiple cardiac surgeries in their lifetime to restore pulmonary blood flow. This results in many health complications. The minimally invasive technology allows them to return home the following day,” he said.
The research wing of the hospital at Dr K M Cherian Heart Foundation, Frontier Mediville Science Park, is working on developing these valves in Chennai’s backyard. “If we do this, we must be able to make this accessible and affordable to most of our patients,” he said.
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