World-renowned pioneer in minimally invasive valve replacement technique, Dr Alain Cribier, imparts finer skills to Cardiologists!

Hyderabad, 21st December 2019: Hyderabad Valves – an association of Interventional Cardiologists, to bridge the knowledge gap on the latest advances in intricate cardiac interventions, and Apollo Hospitals, is hosting the two day 1st Hyderabad Valves Conference, on December 20th and 21st, 2019; at Hotel ITC Kakatiya. The Conference was formally inaugurated by the Chief Dr. K. Hari Prasad, President – Hospitals Division, Apollo Hospitals Group; Prof. Alain Cribier, a world-renowned pioneer in cardiac interventional procedures; and Prof. Helene Eltchaninoff, HOD, Cardiology, University DE Rouen. Also present on the occasion were Dr PC Rath and Dr Manoj Agarwala, Sr. Consultant Cardiologists, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad. The first edition of the Conference is focused on the latest interventional procedures TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) and TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) for effectively treating patients diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis (AS).

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Hari Prasad said, it’s really a privilege to be amongst the masters here. Only a few get an opportunity to contribute big time to the world and one of them is Prof. Alain Cribier. 40% of the people with severe Aortic valve disease or stenosis, never had an opportunity to get operated as they were inoperable and were allowed to die, but this gentleman came up with this device and procedure and created a new ray of hope and a new life for people who didn’t have hope. India started off late in adopting this wonderful procedure of TAVI and TAVR, I would like to enlighten people here that India started the Minimally Invasive cardiac surgeries too much later than the world, but today has the pride of performing the largest series of such surgeries in the world. I would like to assure that despite the delayed start very soon we will hear India performing the largest series of TAVI and we will reach a point from where many more from the world will come and learn from us.

Prof. Alain Cribier said this meeting is very special to me, as TAVI valves have finally reached India after so many years. I am happy to be back here, as I have been associated with India through Apollo hospitals for a few decades now and it has been part of the many innovations I brought in cardiac interventions over the years. Though started to work on this procedure in 2002, India was delayed in adopting it for many reasons, only in the last 2 to 3 years, TAVI cases are being performed in India, around 900 cases have been done during this period in India, but it’s a good beginning for a great journey ahead. We can look forward to this procedure growing exponentially in this country because of the high number of patients suffering from this disease and also due to the aged population increasing here, also the cost of the procedure will decrease with the volume of cases done here. With this Workshop, the learnings on this procedure will reach out to many cardiologists in the country and will give a spurt in the number of cardiologists performing this procedure and will in due course of time replace surgery in several cases. With this procedure success rate will be phenomenal with minimal complications, which is a good sign for India to adopt it fast.

Prof. Helene Eltchaninoff said, the reason for the delay in adopting this procedure in India is the high cost of the device, which often is higher than the cost of the surgery. But this procedure is convenient and comfortable for patients, with minimal complications and speedy recovery, with the increase in the number of cases of TAVI being done here, the costs will come down and will be more accessible to deserving patients.

Dr PC Rath said, this workshop will go a long way in popularizing TAVI procedure in India, as more and more will adopt it. The young cardiologists have the opportunity to learn about this here and the seasoned will get upskilled. In the 3 years since we adopted this procedure only 900 cases were done in India, with very few center having the competence. This workshop will be a turning point with Prof. Alain Cribier, himself sharing insights on it and we can see more and more cardiologists and Centers performing it in due course.

The incidence of cardiovascular diseases, especially among Indians is on the rise over the years. It is turning out to be the biggest cause of mortality in the country, accounting for nearly 25 per cent of all mortalities in the age group of 25 to 69. Aortic Valve Disease or Aortic stenosis is one of the most prevalent valvular heart diseases and a significant contributor to the incidence.

The cause for the Aortic valve stenosis is the narrowing of heart’s aortic valve, resulting in reduced or blocking of blood flow from the heart into the main artery of the body – the aorta, thereby limiting blood supply to the body organs. This reduction of the blood flow creates an artificial trough in the blood supply, making the heart work harder to pump blood and bridge the demand from the body. Eventually, this extra work limits the amount of blood heart can pump and this can cause symptoms as well as possibly weaken the heart muscle. Aortic valve stenosis is particularly common in those over the age of 75. Because of the advanced age of these patients, minimally invasive TAVI is the most appropriate procedure. TAVI is a catheter-based procedure that replaces a patient’s diseased native aortic valve with a bioprosthesis. Though TAVI is relatively new in India, it has become a routine procedure in the developed countries for inoperable and high-risk patients of aortic stenosis.

Owing to increasing life expectancy, we are likely to see more and more patients with aortic stenosis and other degenerative valve conditions over the years to come. All these patients will immensely benefit from the patient-friendly and minimally risky TAVR. There are many FDA approved valves available for commercial use and many more are under development. However, the major prohibitive factors against the widespread application of TAVR in India seem to be the cost and expertise. This Conference will address the lack of expertise among Indian Cardiologists by spreading the knowledge and help them to fine-tune their proficiency and skills in these new techniques.

We at Apollo have been at the forefront of bringing the latest technology and techniques to India. This is another initiative, aiming to familiarize the Indian Cardiologists with advanced techniques of TAVR. This, in turn, should immensely benefit the Indian patients in the years to come. There is no better authority than Prof. Alain Cribier himself, the father of the technique, to impart the finer skills of TAVR to our Cardiologists and make them master it, says Dr Hari Prasad.

The inventor and pioneers of TAVI, Prof. Alain Cribier and Prof. Helene Eltchaninoff of De Rouen University, France, are imparting the skills to the delegates at the TAVI workshop. Utilizing the facilities at Apollo Hospitals, Prof. Alain Cribier and Prof. Helene Eltchaninoff will perform six such TAVI procedures during these two days. The workshop is providing an opportunity to over 300 cardiologists from India and South East Asia to learn from the masters of TAVI.

Dr. Alain Cribier brought about several innovations in the sphere of Intervention Cardiology. He was the first to attempt balloon valvuloplasty way back in 1985 in an elderly patient with AS who was inoperable. The long term results, however, were not satisfactory. This led to the invention of percutaneous aortic valve replacement by Dr. Cribier and it was first done in a human 17 years ago in 2002. Although it was a fallback option for high-risk patients, now there are over 7000 trials/registries based on TAVR clearly stating its mark as a viable option for managing aortic stenosis, especially in the elderly irrespective of their surgical risk. Over 500,000 TAVRs have been performed worldwide over the past 17 years

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It was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap Reddy made a pioneering endeavour by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospital in Chennai. Now, as Asia largest and most trusted healthcare group, its presence includes 8,488 beds across 51 Hospitals, 1,586 Pharmacies, 92 Primary Care and Diagnostic Clinics, 100 Telemedicine units across 10 countries. Health Insurance services, Global Projects Consultancy, 15 colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research and the first Proton Therapy Centre across Asia, Africa and Australia.

In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For more than 28 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.

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