Chandigarh
17 March 2021
DIVYA AZAD
Fortis Hospital, Mohali’s super-specialty in heart center today launched its non-surgical valve implant clinic under the able guidance of Dr R K Jaswal (Director, Cath Lab and HoD, Fortis Hospital, Mohali) for the benefit of patients suffering from advanced Heart Valve disease. Earlier the only available option for these patients was open heart surgery and a Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR).
Dr. Jaswal explained, “Many of those critically ill valve-diseased patients were declined surgery by the surgeons on the grounds of very high risk to life. Therefore, they were left with no treatment option.”
“In recent years, non-surgical valve implantation has been offered to such patients in advanced countries. Fortis Hospital, Mohali has successfully implanted an aortic valve in seven of such critically ill patients, who had been declined surgery by the cardiac surgeons in the interest of patient safety during the last 3 years.”
He further mentioned that we have followed up with these patients for up to 3 years after TAVR and they are leading a good quality healthy life without any complications, despite these patients being critically ill at the time of TAVR.
There was no mortality in these patients. It is also a known fact that if done nothing these patients had very high mortality and very short bad quality life span. He gave an example of a patient who had undergone CABG a few years ago and had now come back with a critically blocked aortic valve disease. Her aorta as well as peripheral arteries were also badly diseased making it difficult to do conventional TAVR for her, which normally requires healthy aorta and peripheral arteries.
In this patient, a rare approach from the left upper-limb artery was utilized for valve implantation.
Dr. Jaswal said, ‘’This is a great option for patients who have advanced valvular heart disease and very high risk to life if Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) is done for them. So in such a situation except for TAVR, the medical profession has no permanent solution to their problem. With this technology, even these moribund patients, can now enjoy a normal good quality life without open heart surgery”.
