Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) has seen worldwide adoption for the treatment of senile degenerative Aortic Stenosis (AS). Apollo Hospitals has performed this surgery in a 74-year-old patient, using the Sapien 3 Trans Catheter Aortic Valve for the first time in South India. Aortic Stenosis (AS) is a very common valvular heart disease and it can lead to significant mortality and morbidity in the elderly population. 14.5 lakh patients suffer with severe Aortic Stenosis in India and the prevalence of AS increases from 2% in adults over 65 years of age to 4% in adults over 85 years of age.
Dr G Sengottuvelu, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, who performed this surgery said that, “A very important feature of this TAVR procedure is that it has shown not only to improve the length of peoples’ lives but also the quality of life. TAVR is a great addition to our ability to care for patients with valvular heart disease, and for the appropriate patient, we’ve seen outstanding results. Sapien 3 is one of the most advanced TAVR valves in the World and currently approved only in 5 centres in India. Apollo Hospitals is the only centre in South India to possess this approval. Until recently, a diseased valve could only be replaced by putting a patient on a heart-lung bypass machine, cutting open the chest and then stitching up the new valve inside the heart. The trauma of such major surgical procedures may soon become a thing of the past.”
Patients with severe Aortic Stenosis often develop symptoms that can restrict their day to day activities such as walking short distances and climbing stairs. These patients can often benefit by replacing their ailing valve. However only two-thirds of the patients undergo the procedure every year across the globe. The main reason is due to lack of awareness. Once symptoms appear, untreated patients have a poor prognosis. Without treatment, symptomatic Aortic Stenosis will eventually lead to death.
