KOCHI: With severe breathing difficulties and heart issues, it was not an easy journey for the Palakkad-native Sudha R. The 55-year-old got a new lease of life through a rare surgery at Aster Medcity, Kochi.
Following the symptoms of shortness of breath and abnormalities in heartbeat, Sudha was admitted to Aster.
It was then found that she was suffering from calcific aortic valve--a condition that is caused due to the accumulation of calcium in the Aortic valve of the heart and it results in obstruction of blood flow. Also, she was suffering from comorbidities including diabetes, high blood pressure, parathyroid hormone and hypercalcemia.
According to doctors, replacing the aortic valve through Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) was the only treatment for the condition. But in the case of Sudha, the doctors were not confident enough to perform TAVI due to her underlying comorbidities and serious condition.Therefore, they decided to go ahead with the advanced technology of open heart sutureless aortic perceval valve.
The surgery was done by the expert team led by Dr Manoj P Nair, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgery. Dr Suresh G Nair, Head, Anesthesia & Critical Care, and Dr George Varghese Kurian, Consultant, Cardiac Surgery were part of the team. The surgery took place on June 11. “When compared to TAVI, the new treatment cost less and has better benefits,” said Dr Manoj. This technique is less complicated and also fits a slightly larger valve, ensuring more accurate treatment by reducing the risk of stroke too, added Dr Manoj.
According to the hospital authorities, it is probably the first time the open heart sutureless aortic perceval valve surgery is conducted in the state.“The lifespan of the TAVI valve is seven years while the lifespan of the Perceval valve is up to 15 years. This procedure can be performed on as many patients as possible using the minimally invasive method. The relatively short bypass time will reduce the complications of the surgery,” said Dr George Varghese Kurian.
After recovering from the surgery, Sudha was discharged from the hospital on June 18. She and her family are in the joy of getting back to life.“Her condition was very complicated and our options were less too. We thank the doctors for their timely intervention and for saving her life,” said Sudha’s family. Meanwhile, Dr Farhan Yasin, regional director of Aster Hospitals--Kerala cluster and Oman said that they are proud to introduce such advanced technology for various treatments.