Apollo Hospitals, India is the first in Asia to perform both a MitraClip and a TAVR procedure on the same patient

Apollo Hospitals, Asia's largest and most trusted healthcare group, saw yet another landmark with Asia’s first dual implant of MitraClip and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) being performed on the same patient. A 75-year-old male patient from Sri Lanka was admitted in cardiogenic shock with severe Aortic stenosis and Mitral Valve regurgitation. This was further complicated by a cardiac arrest after admission. This necessitated a milestone procedure of replacing the aortic valve (TAVR) and repairing the mitral valve (MitraClip), which was performed by Dr Sai Satish, Senior Interventional Cardiologist at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. 

An additional milestone saw Dr Sai Satish successfully completing 9 TAVRs and 3 MitraClips in a span of 24 hours. All the patients recovered within 48 hours of the procedure. TAVR is the ideal procedure for patients with severe and symptomatic aortic stenosis with the invention of a revolutionary valve constructed from a combination of metal mesh and animal tissue, delivered via a thin tube (catheter) through an artery in the leg and then expanded in place. 

The MitraClip procedure repairs leaking mitral valves by clipping its leaflets of the valve together. These minimally invasive MitraClip and TAVR procedures enable the repair/replacement of damaged heart valves without open heart surgery. Following the procedure, the recovery is so rapid that most patients can be discharged within 24 to 48 hours. MitraClip and TAVR procedures are lifesaving procedures for patients at high surgical risk. 

Dr. Sai Satish, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals said, "We have been pioneering the use of cutting-edge medical innovations like MitraClip procedures for almost four years now and TAVR even longer. We have done the highest number of cases in the country. It is this experience and of course the infrastructure and support service of the hospital that enabled us to save this patient’s life by performing both the TAVR and the MitraClip to fix both his valves. The TAVR fixed the narrowed aortic valve that was severely calcified, while the torrential mitral regurgitation was fixed using the MitraClip implant.

 

"Right after this we continued to perform 3 MitraClip and 9 TAVR procedures back-to-back in some very sick patients in a period of just 24 hours. More than just being a first, or breaking any records, this demonstrates the confidence patients have in these of life enhancing procedures.”

 

Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “It is a matter of great pride that we are achieving new milestones becoming the first in Asia to perform MitraClip and TAVR procedures in the same patient and also in having the capacity to seamlessly perform such a large number of complex cases in just 24 hours.  However, it is more important to celebrate the fact that these procedures are allowing us to save lives of patients who cannot go in for open heart surgery because of high risk due to age and other reasons. These cutting-edge procedures allow patients to return to a quality of life that they used to enjoy before their problems began. This is a testament to our experience and excellence in this domain with around 70% of all MitraClips in India to date having been performed at Apollo Hospitals.” 

Heart disease is now the leading killer of men and women in the country. There are approximately 26 million cases of heart failure diagnosed around the world, and it is estimated that in India alone there are about 4-5 million cases. Such patients are known to have a life-long struggle and a very high mortality of up to 60% in five years; and mitral regurgitation can be a significant component in such cases, worsening outcomes in heart failure patients. 

Apollo Hospitals is at the forefront in making new minimally invasive therapies in cardiovascular disease management available for patients as they become the standard of care for patients with heart failure with moderate to severe or severe primary & secondary heart valve problems who are not improving on medical treatment. 

Dr. Sai Satish who has performed over 450 TAVR implants across the world and also has the highest number of MitraClip implants in India, further added, “The MitraClip and TAVR are remarkable innovations that both, dramatically improve quality of life and increase life expectancy in appropriate patient subsets.”