PUDUCHERRY: A special event of gathering , “Heart Valve Implantee Conclave (HVIC)”, with the theme ‘I care my valve; my valve is my life” is being organized by the Department Of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery of JIPMER in collaboration with the PACTVS (Puducherry Association of Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Surgeons) on Monday.
Dr B V Sai Chandran, Head of the Department of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, said heart valve replacement is a type of open heart surgery usually performed to replace the severely diseased valve with a prosthetic valve. There are various types of prosthetic valves available in the market but none of them match in efficiency with a normal native valve, he added.
Dr Sai C handran said the two broad categories are - tissue valves and mechanical valves.
Explaining further he said tissue valves are derived from the animal heart tissue; they are quite expensive but less durable; but has the advantage of avoiding anticoagulant drugs (which prevent blood from clotting) and hence usually preferred for ladies during their reproductive age and also for old age group patients.
Whereas the mechanical valves are less expensive but more durable, but they will require lifelong anticoagulant drugs and hence they require regular monthly check up for monitoring their blood coagulation status as excess drug can cause internal bleeding and lower dosage can lead on to blood clotting on the valve, he further said.
Dr B V Sai Chandran said majority of the patients are fitted with mechanical heart valves and hence they need regular follow up and lifelong medication with restrictions for certain types of food and activities’ as explained by.
He also mentioned that the purpose of the event is to disseminate the health education / awareness on various aspects with respect to heart valve replacement to the mass at once and also to provide opportunity for these patients to interact and clear various queries they have with respect to their routine life activities such as undertaking a job, participating in sports, marrying, pregnancy, etc.
Stressing that as the quality of life improves after operation in many of the patients, they become economically productive to their families, Dr Sai Chandran said some of them even surpass the capacity of a normal person. Show-casing such extraordinary performers in this event will augment the confidence among other patients, he added.