CHENNAI: Doctors at Apollo Hospital successfully implanted a large pulmonary valve through minimally invasive procedure on a 61-year-old woman from Chennai. The patient had undergone total surgical correction in 1981 for Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare congenital defect which affects the structure of the heart, causes oxygen poor blood to flow out of the heart and to the rest of the body.
The patient was doing well until she developed leak in pulmonary valve, a press release from the hospital said. She came to the hospital with a history of breathlessness and tiredness in May 2019. It was found that she was suffering from severe valve leak. If untreated, it could lead to progressive deterioration of heart function.
The doctors decided to perform a very high risk surgery, percutaneous valve implantation, in June 2019. The largest available artificial valve at that time was 29mm which was not a suitable for immediate implantation, the release added. So, the doctors waited.
It became difficult to import valve from markets like China after pandemic outbreak, which worsened the condition of patient. In the meantime, 32-mm valve was introduced by Meril Life Sciences, India and it was considered the best option. On September 15, the valve was implanted through the right femoral vein and the patient was discharged the next day.