Doctors at Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre performed Laceration of the Anterior Mitral Leaflet to Prevent Outflow Obstruction (LAMPOON), an advanced transcatheter electrosurgical technique, an assisted Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) procedure on a 75-year-old patient who had undergone an open-heart surgery 10 years ago for mitral valve replacement.
Speaking about the procedure, Ganesan, Head of Department, Department of Cardiology, said it was challenging as the procedure involved lacerating the existing valve and subsequently performing TVMR to implant the new one.
“In the LAMPOON procedure, two catheters are inserted through the patient’s groin area into the heart flowing through the blood vessels. An electrified wire woven through the catheter is used to split open the leaflet and after the procedure, TMVR was done,” he added.
“TMVR offers a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open-heart surgery for patients suffering from mitral valve dysfunction. Unlike conventional surgical procedures that require open heart surgeries, TMVR is performed via catheter-based techniques, typically through a small incision in the groin or chest,” said R. Sivakumar, Senior Consultant.
However, even TMVR could be risky for patients owing to age, co-morbidities or previous cardiac interventions, Dr. Sivakumar added.
Elaborating on the procedure, he said the mitral valve, one of the four heart valves, facilitates blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart. The mitral valve contains two flaps known as mitral leaflets, and their sole purpose is to open and close tightly to ensure blood flows through the heart in one direction.
The doctors added that a dysfunctional mitral valve can lead to pulmonary hypertension, heart enlargement, atrial fibrillation, blood clots and even heart failure.
