Apollo Hospital’s MitraClip implant saves 41-year-old waiting for heart transplant
MitraClip was introduced in India just three years ago, and has given a new lease of life for patients who cannot go in for conventional open-heart surgery.
On Wednesday, announced a successful MitraClip implant on a 41-year-old male farmer named Jada Kameshwara Rao, who had waited for over three months in different hospitals for a heart transplant. The patient was back on his feet within a few days after the procedure, and might not even need a heart transplant.
MitraClip was introduced in India about three years ago. The first MitraClip was implanted in 2003 in a patient in the US. Today over 100,000 patients in more than 50 countries have undergone the MitraClip procedure.
“Patients with moderate to severe or severe primary and secondary mitral regurgitation who are not improving on medical treatment can opt for this minimally invasive solution that offers them a vastly improved quality of life and health,” said Dr Sai Satish, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals.
“For three years now, we have been performing this procedure on patients we think are suitable candidates and we have seen incredible results in the quality of life they are able to return to, post-procedure,” he added.
The minimally invasive MitraClip procedure is effective in both functional and degenerative mitral regurgitation. The procedure is performed percutaneously in a cath lab and the device is removable and repositionable. It facilitates the sealing or clipping of a leaky mitral valve of the heart and prevents the blood from flowing back into the lungs.
(From left) Dr Sai Satish with patient Jada Kameshwara Rao, Preetha Reddy and Kameshwara's family.
Earlier this year, Apollo Hospital was able to implant the MitraClip in four sick patients in a span of a day during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.
“Research has shown that using MitraClip as a bridge to heart transplantation is safe and may even lead to functional improvements that permit patients to be removed from the transplant list,” says Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group.
“We are proud to have demonstrated this at Apollo Hospitals through the case of a 41-year-old male patient who was waiting for a heart transplant for over three months. The success of this case has renewed our commitment to taking this cutting edge and revolutionary medical innovation to the people who need it the most,” she added.
Edited by Kanishk Singh