In a first-of-its-kind procedure, Apollo Hospitals performed transfemoral pulmonary valve implantation, a non-surgical procedure done using catheter insertion through a femoral vein, on a 26-year-old woman.
The patient, who consulted experts for breathlessness, was diagnosed to have tetralogy of fallot, a heart condition where there is a large hole in the heart and obstruction to the lung tube.
The patient had undergone a couple of surgeries when young for surgical corrections and in 2009 had surgical valve replacement following which she developed infective endocarditis of pulmonary valve. As the medical management failed, she underwent open heart surgery again for removal of infection and another valve replacement, a press release said.
About the procedure adopted by Apollo Hospitals, interventional cardiologist, Dr C S Muthukumaran, said, “The patient had already undergone several surgeries since childhood; hence, performing another surgery was considered high-risk. Transfemoral implantation, a non-surgical procedure, was the best solution. We have been using only imported valves for replacement surgeries so far. This is the first time we have used an Indian-made valve, called MYVAL, manufactured by Meril Life Sciences. We used this valve in pulmonary (lung tube) position to help the patient.”
The procedure was performed within 90 minutes and the patient was discharged in two days, added the release.