Mangaluru: A cardiology team at Father Muller Medical College Hospital successfully performed a complex catheter-based valve intervention on an elderly woman who developed breathlessness after a previously implanted heart valve malfunctioned.The patient had undergone surgical valve replacement a year earlier but subsequently developed progressive breathlessness and swelling in her lower limbs. Clinical evaluation and diagnostic tests found severe dysfunction of the implanted valve, causing significant cardiac compromise and advanced heart failure.Chief interventional cardiologist Dr H Prabhakar, who led the team, said repeat valve replacement surgery was the conventional treatment. However, repeat cardiac surgeries carry considerable procedural risks, particularly for elderly patients with compromised heart function.The team therefore considered the less invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure. The existing surgical valve increased the procedure’s complexity, requiring meticulous assessment and planning.The patient showed significant improvement after the intervention and was mobilised within 24 hours. Her recovery was uneventful, and she was discharged after five days with marked improvement in her symptoms.Dr Prabhakar was assisted by cardiology head Dr Pradeep Pereira, cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr Anand KT, cardiac anaesthesiologist Dr Chetana Anand, and cardiologists Dr Jostol Pinto and Dr Ashoka, along with the hospital’s multidisciplinary cardiac care team.
