Apollo Hospitals, Chennai became the first hospital in India to use an Indian-made valve for performing Transfemoral Pulmonary Valve Implantation. The procedure does not require a surgical incision in the chest and is performed by catheter insertion through a large vein in the groin (Femoral artery), called the transfemoral approach.
A 26-year-old female patient was presented to with symptoms of breathlessness. She was diagnosed to have Tetralogy of fallot (a heart condition which has a large hole in the heart and obstruction to the lung tube). The patient had undergone couple of surgeries in her young age, for surgical corrections of the condition. In 2009, she had surgical valve replacement following which she developed infective endocarditis of the pulmonary valve. As the medical management failed, she underwent open heart surgery again for removal of infection and another valve replacement.
On further follow up at Apollo Hospitals Chennai, it was identified that she had developed progressive obstruction of the surgically implanted valve. Since the patient was concerned about her married life and pregnancy; a new valve replacement was recommended by the doctors to cure the infection in her chest wall that might cause further complications if left untreated.
Speaking about the procedure, Dr. CS. Muthukumaran, Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai said “The patient had already undergone several surgeries since childhood, hence, performing another surgery was considered high risk. Transfemoral aortic implantation a non-surgical procedure was the best solution. We have been only using imported valves for replacement surgeries so far. This is the first time we have used an Indian-made valve called MYVAL manufactured by Meril Life sciences. We have used this valve in pulmonary (lung tube) position to help this young lady.”
The procedure was performed within 90 minutes and the patient was discharged in two days. This valve replacement procedure has transformed her life and she will not require open heart surgery in future. This procedure will transform the life of all those people who had this condition operated as a child and awaiting a valve replacement.
