NL Corresspondent
Jammu, Nov 9: An 82-year-old man, who was a high risk patient owing to the multiple co-morbidities, progressing condition of
heart failure and old age, got second lease of life when he got treatment with the advanced Mitraclip procedure at the Fortis
Escorts, Amritsar.
The Mitraclip procedure using the latest G4 device (St Jude Medical, now Abbott) was successfully undertaken by Dr Arun
Chopra, Director Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Amritsar with the help of Dr Ravinder Singh Rao from RHL, Jaipur and other
doctors from Fortis Escorts Amritsar – Dr Deepak Kapila, Dr Arjun Ved Gupta, Dr Maninder Sidhu, Dr Rishi Goenka and Dr Sunila
Kapila. It was the first Mitraclip procedure in the Chandigarh, Punjab and J&K region.
“The patient was admitted at the hospital with heart failure and a history of diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. The
patient had undergone a CRT device/ pacemaker procedure in 2010 due to dilated cardiomyopathy and the CRT device was later
replaced for better control in 2017. However, since the patient was not keeping well for the past few days, his comprehensive
health check-up through 2-D and 3-D Echo revealed a dilated heart with reduced heart function and heart failure due to mitral valve
regurgitation”, Dr Arun Chopra said, adding that the doctors then decided to perform the Mitraclip procedure as the patient was a
high risk patient owing to the multiple co-morbidities, progressing condition of heart failure and old age.
MitraClip is less invasive than mitral valve surgery and a simpler procedure with minimal risks and shorter length of hospital stay
in high-risk patients. The procedure improves forward output of the heart and lowers the risk of repeated admissions due to heart
failure and mortality.
Dr D M Saini, Director, Cardiac Surgery, Fortis Escorts Amritsar said “Earlier, the patient of Severe Mitral Valve Regurgitation
required open heart surgery with hospitalization for 7-10 days. The patient has to undergo severe pain and post operative
complications. These problems are accentuated in patients who are old, have severe LV dysfunction and other co-morbid
conditions, as in this particular patient. Minimally invasive Mitraclip procedure has better clinical outcomes with few side effects
compared to the open heart surgery.”
Second lease of life: 82 year old heart patient gets treatment with latest technology
