AIIMS Bhopal Performs First Govt Sector Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implant

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): AIIMS performed the first-ever government-sector Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) in Madhya Pradesh.

This procedure was jointly performed by Dr Bhushan Shah, assistant professor and incharge of Structural Heart Program at the department of cardiology and Dr Yogesh Niwariya, head of the department of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery.

This achievement marks a significant advancement in providing advanced cardiac care to the economically disadvantaged and underserved sections of society.

The patient, a 70-year-old, had been complaining of severe breathlessness for 8 months due to a severely narrowed aortic valve that restricted blood flow. He was deemed a high-risk candidate for traditional open heart surgery because of his frailty and chronic obstructive lung disease.

AIIMS director Dr Ajai Singh said: “Performing the first government-sector TAVI in Madhya Pradesh is a testament to our commitment to providing cutting-edge medical care to those who need it most.

This successful TAVI procedure establishes AIIMS Bhopal as a frontrunner in interventional cardiology, further reinforcing its commitment to offering world-class cardiac care.” TAVI is a minimally invasive heart valve replacement technique, serving as an alternative to open heart surgery for high-risk patients.

It involves inserting a heart valve on a delivery system through the leg artery, which reaches the heart and deploys the new valve without the need for incisions, general anesthesia, or ventilators. As a result, patients can be discharged much earlier than with traditional heart surgery.