Dr. Sai Satish, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai successfully performed Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) on an octogenarian. Mrs. Jeyaseeli, a 80-years-old cardiac patient was having difficulty in breathing and was unable to take even few steps to walk. During one of her reviews in another hospital, she had a cardiac arrest. Though she was revived by the doctors, considering her age and certain other factors, surgery was ruled out.
At Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, patient underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), a non-surgical option for treating aortic stenosis. The octogenarian underwent the procedure on March 1 and was discharged home after two to three days of hospitalization.
Months later, her son, Roche Antony, a resident of Karur, was amazed at her recovery. “She suffered from aortic stenosis, which is basically a narrowing of the aortic valve. She found it difficult to take even 5 to 10 steps. But now, she leads a normal life. She is hale and healthy,” he said.
Dr. Sai Satish, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, who performed the procedure, said: “More than one million cases of aortic stenosis are diagnosed every year in India. Half of them are due to age-related narrowing of the aortic valve. Age-related degeneration of aortic valve is emerging as the most common cause of aortic stenosis.”
He further pointed out that recent studies have shown, 1 in 10 persons aged 75 and above, is affected with this condition. It is here that TAVI serves as the best option for elderly patients and gives excellent outcomes. “Till recently, treatment options available included Balloon Valvuloplasty, Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement and medical management”, he said.
“In TAVI, a thin, flexible tube (catheter) housing the collapsed valve is inserted most commonly through an artery in the leg (transfemoral approach) and delivered to the heart. Similar to coronary artery stenting methods, the procedure is performed in a Cardiac Cath Lab.”, he explained. “The valve delivery system is used to position the new valve that is then implanted inside the diseased aortic valve. The recovery is usually dramatic because their hearts are now able to pump the right amount of blood to the entire body. TAVI usually requires hospitalization for three days to a week,” he said.
He further gave an important advice to the patients that “Once severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is diagnosed, 9 out of 10 patients, who do not receive some form of intervention, will die within four years. It is extremely important to get professional help for valvular heart disease.”
Dr. Sai Satish, had performed many complex coronary procedures and is among the few doctors who are licensed to implant the valves independently in India. His first exposure to TAVI was in 2008 in Holland. He had conducted several training programmes in India and abroad, and several live demonstrations.
