Heart diseases contribute significantly to cardiac morbidity and mortality in India. Indians are not only predisposed to heart diseases, but the progression of the disease is also faster among Indians.
Considering the high incidences of heart disease in Indians, Max Super Speciality Hospital here has armed itself with advanced treatment options for Heart Valve Diseases, some of them being unique and first of its kind in Dehradun and Uttarakhand.
Talking about Valvular heart disease Dr Akhilesh Pandey, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Dehradun explained that it occurred if one or more heart valves didn’t work well. The Valve problems could be congenital (inborn) or acquired due to any other cause later in life. Many people have heart valve defects or disease which didn’t show symptoms and could worsen the problem. If not treated, advanced heart valve disease could cause heart failure, stroke, blood clots, or death due to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
Timely detection of valve disease and medical management could only delay valve damage, definitive treatment was surgical treatment.
Explaining about the various treatment available for valvular heart diseases, Dr Pandey said that Balloon valvuloplasty was done for newborns with stenosed aortic valve from birth. This procedure used a miniature inflated balloon to open a narrowed or clogged valve provided the valve was flexible and non-calcified. This was a lifesaving emergency procedure and is not recommended for adults.”
Surgical aortic valve replacement, or SAVR, was required in case the valve has significant volume of backward flow. The procedure involved open heart surgery where the patient was connected to a heart-lung machine and operation was performed on a non beating heart. Some of the valves were amenable to repair. However, badly damaged valves needed to be replaced with artificial valves.
There were two types of artificial valves commonly in use- Mechanical valves which were made of Titanium and pyrolytic carbon and Tissue valves made from animal tissues.”
Although, mechanical valves were longer lasting but they required lifelong anticoagulation therapy to avoid clotting of blood. Whereas tissue valves did not need any anticoagulation and have a shorter lifespan and were therefore recommended for patients aged more than 55 years.