Aortic valve of a 67-year-old patient had failed and this was developing cardiac complications. Open heart surgery was the option before him to replace the valve. However, now all state-of -the -art medical facilities are available in Nagpur too, ‘Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement’ (TAVI) is an option to replace the valve without surgery. At Wockhardt Hospitals Internationally renowned cardiologist Dr. Anmol Sonawane completed this process on patient. Dr. Anmol Sonawane was assisted by Cardiologist Dr. Nitin Tiwari, Dr. Amey Beedkar, Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Sumit Pathak, Anesthetist Dr. Pankaj’s team .
Open heart surgery was a risk for the patient , as the patient had comorbidities like hypertension, kidney problems. In such cases ‘Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement’ is the only option. If the aortic valve fails, the patient’s quality of life may be less than that of cancer patients and the risk of sudden cardiac arrest increases. The patient also took a decision to undergo a valve replacement procedure without delay. Now the condition of the patient is good and the blood supply is normal.
In Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, just like angiography and angioplasty, a tube (catheter) is passed from the arm through a blood vessel to the heart. With help of pacemaker the heart beats are increased up to 250 beats per minute. Once the heart is stabilized, a valve is opened in the heart, guided by an artificial catheter. Once the patient stabilizes over time, the catheter is removed. What is special about this is that patient does not need anesthesia to perform this surgery. This procedure can be done while the patient is conscious. There is no risk of bleeding as there is no need to make an incision. The patient is discharged from the hospital in three-four days.
For patients who are at risk of open heart surgery, this treatment is effective. Wockhardt Hospital has all specialist doctors and a well-equipped intensive care unit to enable this procedure. Such procedures are now possible in Nagpur, the patient do not have to go to other places for treatment. Apart from this, it is observed that patients from outside are flocking to Nagpur to undergo this procedure. Hence, Nagpur is being called as a medical hub.
A boon for those who are at risk
The TAVI procedure is a boon for those who are at risk of open heart surgery. Advanced technology in cardiology has now made valve replacement possible without a surgery .