BENGALURU: For the first time in Karnataka, a 17-year-old boy who had earlier undergone two open heart surgeries, got a non-surgical valve replacement at Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Research Hospitals in Bengaluru. Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve (TAVR) - MyVal was performed on Karthik, from JP Nagar in Bengaluru, for free.
The boy’s case was complicated and risky, demanding a third open heart surgery. “In the past 10 years, we had already performed two open heart surgeries -- the first in 2012 for an infection on the right side of his heart, which had destroyed the valve leaflet, and it was corrected,” said Dr Jayaranganath M, Professor of Paediatric Cardiology, who performed the surgery with his team.
A year later, Karthik came back with a leak in the same valve, and this was addressed in 2017 surgically by use of a graft extracted from a cadaver. Two years later, the leak worsened and again needed repair. He came to Jayadeva Hospital again with complaints of palpitations, the doctors explained. On evaluation, he was found to have rhythm abnormality due to a defect in electrical conduction in the heart and underwent a Radiofrequency Ablation for increased heart rate. But his ordeal didn’t end there -- Karthik continued to have leakage in the tricuspid valve, resulting in heart failure, and was unable to perform any physical activity.
Karthik, who is now in Class 10, complained of severe fatigue and swelling in the legs. A third open heart surgery was impossible, explained Dr Manjunath CN, Director of the hospital. “He lost his father five years ago. His mother works as a cook and his sister studies in Class 10. We decided that we will replace this valve by non-surgical method,” explained Dr Manjunath.
The method involves insertion of a 19mm tissue valve called ‘MyVal’, and the entire surgery, which costs around Rs 15 lakh, was done for free with contributions of Rs 6.5 lakh from donors and the rest by the Institute and company.