North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) carried out an operation never seen in the North East before recently – an autologous right atrial appendage-derived neo pulmonary valve construction for a patient suffering with pulmonary valve stenosis.
Pulmonary valve stenosis is a type of heart valve disease that narrows the pulmonary valve, which controls the flow of blood from the heart’s right ventricle to the lungs. The severity of the symptoms depends on how much blood flow is blocked. Mild pulmonary stenosis may not cause any symptoms. Moderate to severe pulmonary stenosis may cause symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, especially during exercise, chest pain and fainting, a NEIGRIHMS press release stated today.
Many techniques have been used to replace faulty pulmonary valves. Some of these techniques use the patient’s own tissue, while others use tissue from a donor or synthetic material. However, most of these techniques have the problem of not lasting long.
This new valve made from the patient’s own right atrial appendage (RAA) is more durable and effective than other valves because of its unique properties. The RAA valve is made from the patient’s own tissue and does not need to be chemically treated. It is stretchable, flexible and thin. It is also living tissue, so it can grow with the patient and may not need to be replaced in the future.
The patient has been discharged and is without symptoms on follow-up. “This is a major breakthrough in the treatment of pulmonary valve stenosis,” the press release added. “NEIGRIHMS is proud to be at the forefront of this innovation and hope that it will benefit many patients in the future.”
The surgery was performed by a team of doctors, nurses and technical staff from the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department, led by Dr and associate professor Reuben Lamiaki Kynta, assisted by Dr Mercyful Lyngdoh and CTVS OT staff. Dr Sunny, assistant professor of Anaesthesiology, and his team provided anaesthesia support during the surgery.
Dr Amit Malviya, associate professor of Cardiology, and his team provided intraoperative cardiology and echocardiography support. Perfusion support of the patient was managed by senior perfusionist Mrinal Mandal and L Dkhar. Specialist post operative cardiac care was provided by the nursing staff of the CTVS-ICU and CTVS Ward.
