Wockhardt Hospital Successfully Treated A 83-Year-Old Mumbai Woman Suffering from Heart Attack With 3rd Generation Medtronic Leak-Proof Valve Via TAVR procedure

by Suman Gupta

Mumbai: A team of skilled doctors such as Dr Ankur Phatarpekar, consultant interventional cardiologist, Dr Haresh Mehta, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Kayan Siodia, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Mangesh Kohale, cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Bhavesh Popat, interventional radiologist, Dr Neeraj Barnwal  Anaesthetist, Dr Brajesh Gupta  Physician and Dr Zaheer Virani Consultant Physician successfully treated the 83-Year-Old Mumbai woman suffering from a heart attack, She got a new lease of life through a minimally  invasive life-saving procedure called Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) wherein a 3rd Generation Leak-Proof Valve was placed high up in the heart to regulate the obstructed blood flow to the heart, which improve the survival chances of the patient.

83-year-old Dnyaneshwari Swami, a resident of Mumbai suddenly encountered chest pain, Shortness of breath. The family panicked and admitted her to Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central wherein she was diagnosed with a heart attack. Doctors carried out Angioplasty and saved her life.

Dr Ankur Phatarpekar, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Wockhardt Hospital, SoBo, said, “On arrival, the patient underwent, ECG & 2DEcho it was revealed that the patient suffered from a heart attack, and 1 of her 3 arteries of heart was occluded (occlusion means the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery). The patient also had other co-morbidities such as low blood pressure and kidney problem. The blood clot was removed using aspiration, and the affected session was treated using a drug-eluting stent, and she took about 7 days to recover fully. During the 2DEcho it was also found that the patient had severe Aortic Stenosis (that is a narrowing of the aortic valve opening). It restricts the blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta and may also affect the pressure in the left atrium (one of the four chambers of the heart, located on the left posterior side) with heart-pumping of 35%.”

Instead of performing high-risk open-heart surgery, a novel Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), was carried out to aid the normal function of Heart Valves. “TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure to replace a narrowed aortic valve that fails to open properly (aortic valve stenosis). It is a boon for the patients who are not candidates for other treatment options because of their age, overall health or other medical issues. The goal of TAVR is to implant a new, artificial valve to take over the job of the damaged aortic valve,” explained Dr Ankur Phaterpekar.

Dr Haresh Mehta, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central added, “A catheter was used to manoeuvre and place the new 3rd Generation Leak-Proof Valve, which slips inside the old valve. Once placed, the new valve expands and pushed the damaged valve parts out of the way and regulated the blood flow into the aorta. The shallow implant of the valve was carried out, placing it high up due to the lack of calcium in the patient. 3rd Generation Leak-Proof Valve is the first-of-its-kind valve used in Western India at Wockhardt Hospital. It helps improve the survival rate of the patient. Normally in such cases, there are 15% to 20 %, chances of person death.  With the help of new technology, chances have come less than 1%.”

The procedure took about 45 min.  “In this procedure, there is only a small puncture instead of a large incision and it is less painful. There is a minimized hospital stay and a speedy recovery. In 3 Days, the patient could breath-freely, and her co-morbidities have been tackled,” said Dr Ankur Phaterpaker.

“After I suffered a heart attack, I was immediately rushed to Wockhardt hospital. Since my family was aware of the symptoms, I could receive timely treatment.  I thank the doctors and the team at Wockhardt Hospitals for helping me get back on track,” concluded Patient Dnyaneshwari Swami.