Hyderabad: A significant rise in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures indicates a paradigm shift in the management of severe aortic stenosis, particularly among elderly and high-risk patients. At AIG Hospitals, clinicians reported performing nearly 100 TAVR procedures over the past year, contributing to an estimated 350–400 cases across the city.
Aortic stenosis, characterised by progressive narrowing of the aortic valve, can lead to heart failure and sudden cardiac death if untreated. “These patients often present late, and many were previously deemed inoperable due to age or comorbidities,” said Dr Anuj Kapadiya, Director, Cardiac Cath Lab and senior consultant, interventional cardiology, AIG Hospitals.
TAVR has changed that landscape by offering a minimally invasive alternative with outcomes comparable to surgery. The price was also reduced; it was `40 lakh and came down to Rs16 lakh to Rs17 lakh, Dr Kapadiya said.
TAVR was originally indicated for patients above 80 years of age or those unfit for open-heart surgery and was now being extended to carefully selected lower-risk and younger populations. “Every case undergoes a heart team assessment involving cardiologists, surgeons, and anaesthetists to ensure appropriate patient selection and long-term planning,” said Dr Swaroop Bharadwaj, co-director at the cathlab.
Advances in device technology and procedural techniques have significantly improved safety outcomes. Complication rates, including stroke and major bleeding, had reduced to nearly one to two per cent, compared to earlier estimates of seven to eight per cent. Hospital stay has also shortened, with most patients discharged within 48–72 hours.
“In a recent case, we treated a 55-year-old. Beyond this age we don’t, because they have to go through cycles of valves after ten years. The patients we treated earlier have not come for a second replacement yet but we keep monitoring them with a single medication of blood, said Dr Kapadiya.
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