BENGALURU: Doctors at Narayana Health City have performed India’s first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure for pure aortic valve leakage using the specialised Hanchor valve technology, a device designed specifically for severe aortic regurgitation. While TAVI procedures have been performed in India earlier for narrowed heart valves, this is the first time the Hanchor system has been used in the country for patients
with pure valve leakage, the hospital said.
The minimally invasive procedure was carried out on two male patients aged 80 and 69, both considered high risk for open-heart surgery due to age and associated medical conditions. Doctors performed the procedure through the femoral artery in the thigh without opening the chest, completing it within 45 to 60 minutes. Both patients were discharged within 48 hours.
Doctors said treating pure aortic regurgitation through catheter-based procedures has traditionally been difficult because the condition lacks calcium deposits needed to hold conventional valves in place. The Hanchor device was developed specifically to address this challenge.
Since the device is not commercially available in India, the hospital obtained special case-by-case government approval to import and use it, as the procedure is still considered experimental in the Indian context. The procedure was led by Dr Suraj Narasimhan.