Two high-risk cardiac patients with a history of open-heart surgery were treated for severe aortic valve stenosis through TAVR procedure

Chennai, 14th February 2022: Prashanth Hospitals, one of Chennai’s leading super-specialty hospitals, successfully performed the TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) procedure on two septuagenarians recently.   The hospital helped them reunite with their loved ones on Valentine’s day through a high-risk catheter pinhole procedure.  The patients with a previous history of open-heart surgery and multiple ailments were brought to the Velachery hospital in an acute condition with heart failure. Led by Senior Interventional Cardiologist Dr K Dhamodaran and Dr M Kathiresan, a team of expert doctors performed a TAVR procedure to treat both patients who were suffering from critical aortic valve stenosis located in the main exit valve in the heart, relieving them from the long-standing fight against heart ailments.

An Aortic Valve Stenosis is the narrowing of the aortic valve opening that restricts the blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. The patients are mostly elderly, suffering from breathlessness, chest pain, and dizziness. If left untreated they may develop heart failure. Traditionally such patients were treated with open-heart surgery which involves a higher risk to life. The new paradigm interventional procedure called TAVR involves replacing the valve with a catheter passed through the groin through a pinhole interventional procedure.

Mrs. Sankaravadivu, a 75-year-old female who underwent open-heart bypass surgery 15 years ago, was suffering from severe breathing difficulty post a fall. Upon preliminary pre-operative cardiac examination, the patient was diagnosed with heart failure due to critical aortic valve stenosis. As she was unfit for anesthesia and immediate heart surgery due to her medical history, she was stabilized as the first measure with balloon dilation of the aortic valve followed by fracture fixation by the orthopedic surgeon. Post this, she underwent a successful TAVR procedure to help recover from heart failure.

The second patient, Mr Nadhergani, a 74-year-old male who underwent open-heart bypass surgery 25 years ago, had complaints of severe chest pain and giddiness. He was found to have critical aortic valve stenosis upon examination and was advised to undergo a TAVR procedure since a traditional open-heart valve replacement surgery for the second time, was deemed to be of higher risk and involved more complications. After a discussion with the cardiac team, he underwent a TAVR procedure through the right groin. He was able to walk the next day without symptoms and was discharged early.

Speaking about the surgery, Dr K Dhamodaran, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Prashanth Hospitals, said “We are truly humbled to have had the opportunity to save the lives of Mrs SankaraVadivu and Mr.Nadhergani, and reunite them with their partners on Valentine’s Day. This was a challenging clinical scenario for us as both patients had previous open heart bypass surgery with multiple complications, which carries high-risk of a second surgery.”

Adding to this, Dr. Prashanth Krishna, Director, Prashanth Hospitals, said “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. K Dhamodaran and his expert team of Doctors for their excellent care and service to these elderly patients. Their timely intervention has today given the patients a new lease of life. At Prashanth Hospitals we strive to provide quality healthcare at an affordable price and this recent TAVR procedure is a testament to the same. We are happy that both the patients are recovering well from the procedure and are in a healthy position to spend quality time with their respective partners on Valentine’s Day.”