Doctors at the Government General Hospital here performed a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to save a 69-year-old male patient, who was admitted on Saturday with serious heart ailments.
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The patient was in a serious condition at the time of admission as his aortic valve had thickened and calcified due to wear and tear and needed to be replaced. TAVR is an alternative to open heart aortic valve replacement surgery. In the procedure, a valve made from the pericardium of a cow and placed inside a stent is inserted through the large artery in the groin, neck, or underarm.
The hospital authorities said team work involving doctors from cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and cardiac anaesthesia departments helped in completing the procedure successfully. The patient could be discharged in the next two days, they said. Veena George, Minister for Health, congratulated the team members, according to a release.
Around 20,000 patients had undergone angiogram, angioplasty and pacemaker procedures at the General Hospital. Nearly 90% of patients have received treatment free of cost under the government’s health insurance and Karunya schemes, it said.