PGIMER: Novel valve implant procedure ushers in hope for heart patients

Ushering in new hope for patients at risk of recurrent right-sided heart failure, doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) performed a novel valve implantation procedure

Ushering in new hope for patients at risk of recurrent right-sided heart failure, doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) performed a novel valve implantation procedure.

A team of doctors at the Advanced Cardiac Centre, PGIMER, under the guidance of Yash Paul Sharma, performed a novel TRIC valve device implant on an 80-year-old patient who was suffering from recurrent heart failure and was too sick to undergo open heart surgery. (HT File)

Recurrent right-sided heart failure due to tricuspid valve leakage is an uncommon disease which mainly affects elderly people or people with a history of valve surgery. Treatment options for these patients are very limited, with high-risk open heart surgery and valve replacement being the only options.

In one of the first instances in the country, a team of doctors at the Advanced Cardiac Centre, PGIMER, under the guidance of Yash Paul Sharma, performed a novel TRIC valve device implant on an 80-year-old patient who was suffering from recurrent heart failure and was too sick to undergo open heart surgery.

“The patient after this procedure improved significantly and has not had any symptoms of heart failure in his short follow-up,” the doctor said.

Talking about the procedure, PGIMER department of cardiology’s associate professor Dr Himanshu Gupta said two valves were implanted into the venous inflow system of the heart, which helps in decreasing valve leakage and improves forward cardiac output. He added that the valve implantation can be done from a percutaneous approach and does not require an open heart procedure.

Gupta further said the procedure was recently approved as a treatment for the heart condition, making the surgery the first at PGIMER and among only a handful to have been performed around the world.

He added that the procedure could help several other patients with recurrent right-sided heart failure due to severe tricuspid regurgitation as it was a low-risk procedure with fewer risks of complications, but should only be done in cases where a patient’s condition does not improve despite optimal medical treatment.

Gupta said the procedure could offer a significant improvement in the quality of life and even improved survival for patients deemed fit for it