Trans Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) on an 83-year-old COVID Survivor

Hyderabad, December 2020: The team of Cardiologists at Apollo Hospitals, led by Dr. A. Sreenivas Kumar, Director, Cardiology & Clinical Research; performed a critical cardiac procedure – ‘Trans Aortic Valve Replacement’ (TAVR) on an 83-year-old COVID survivor male patient from West Godavari District, suffering from Hypertension, Mild Coronary Artery Disease, COPD, severe Degenerative Aortic Valve Disease, severe Aortic Stenosis and Mild Aortic Regurgitation. Despite recovering from Covid he developed lung fibrosis, leading to worsening of breathlessness, palpitations and extreme fatigue. He was rushed to the hospital considering his deteriorating condition due to pre-existing severe Aortic valve disease coupled with the post-Covid difficulties.

The patient was evaluated with HR CT Chest for Covid manifestations, stabilised and once Covid PCR became negative he was evaluated by CT Angio with TAVR Protocol. A detailed clinical and Echocardiogram evaluation that followed strongly indicated TAVR as the treatment option. His Coronary Angiogram revealed mild CAD which can be managed medically. After explaining the pros and cons regarding TAVR, the patient was admitted on 25th November and the TAVR procedure was done successfully. The post-procedure hemodynamic revealed no gradient across the Aortic valve and echo did show good valve position with no AR. His Femoral puncture site was closed with Perclose – Proglide systems, the patient was ambulatory by night and was discharged the next day morning. This is the first patient in the twin Telugu states to undergo this procedure post-COVID recovery, even in the Country, no data was available on this being performed earlier.

This performing of a TAVR procedure on an octogenarian Covid recovered patient is a milestone. It sends a strong message to patients with pre-existing cardiac disease and recovered from Covid, that there is no need to postpone seeking medical care for critical ailments. The expertise and facilities available at Apollo Hospitals, can help patients recover from serious ailments and lead a normal and active life, says Dr. A. Sreenivas Kumar.

COVID survivors are developing myriad health problems, it could be simple ailments like fatigue, body aches, joint pains, lack of concentration to more severe and long-term health complications with one or other body organs being compromised. The problems could be lung fibrosis, severe lung scarring with lung losing its elasticity and ability to pump oxygen needing lung transplantation, Ischemic Heart Disease, strokes due to clot in the brain, kidney complications and more, as studies unravel newer insights about the disease. Most such patients were devoid of any of these health issues prior to COVID and some of them have already developed irreversible conditions, impacting them for a lifetime. This phenomenon is across the age and gender groups and this patient too became a victim of post-Covid health complications.

About Apollo Hospitals:

Apollo Hospitals was established in 1983 by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, renowned as the architect of modern healthcare in India. As the nation’s first corporate hospital, Apollo Hospitals is acclaimed for pioneering the private healthcare revolution in the country. Apollo Hospitals has emerged as Asia’s foremost integrated healthcare services provider and has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem, including Hospitals, Pharmacies, Primary Care & Diagnostic Clinics and several retail health models. Since its inception, Apollo Hospitals has been honoured by the trust of over 150 million individuals who came from 140 countries. At the core of Apollo’s patient-centric culture is TLC (Tender Loving Care), the magic that inspires hope amongst its patients.