New heart op method in city hosp a life-saver for high-risk patients

Kolkata: At least four patients with blood leakage from the mitral valve underwent treatment using a new technique in a city hospital. Doctors said this minimally invasive procedure, done through a keyhole, can be a saviour for high-risk patients who can't undergo open-heart surgery.The mitral valve, located between two chambers of the heart, controls the flow of blood between them. The leakage, called mitral regurgitation (MR), occurs when the valve does not close sufficiently, resulting in blood flowing backwards from the left ventricle into the left atrium and causing back pressure on the lungs. "MR places strain on the heart, making it work harder to pump blood against the backflow through the mitral valve," said cardiologist Suvro Banerjee of Apollo Multispecialty Hospital.MR can cause fluid build-up in the lungs and body, leading to shortness of breath, tiredness, and leg swelling. In later stages, it can lead to irregular heartbeat, worsening of liver and kidney functions, heart failure, and death. The new technique, called Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair, uses a catheter via the groin to repair the leak using a clip. The procedure is guided by imaging techniques, like X-ray and echo pictures. "Shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, rapid weight loss, water retention, and irregular heartbeats could be some symptoms of MR. If left untreated, it could lead to stroke, pulmonary hypertension, or sudden death," said cardiologist Sumanto Mukhopadhyay, who conducted the procedures at Apollo recently.In the open-heart procedure, a patient's hospital stay is about a week. In this new technique, the stay is reduced to about two days. "While this is a costly treatment, some patients are too sick to go through the open heart procedure," said cardiologist P K Hazra of Manipal Dhakuria. Health Care Foundation's Sanjoy Chatterjee said the organisation is willing to organise training sessions for doctors on this technique.