Indian Army Doctors Perform Rare Heart Valve Surgery

In a major breakthrough for advanced cardiac care, specialists at the Army Institute of Cardio-Thoracic Sciences (AICTS) in Pune have successfully performed a rare and highly complex minimally invasive heart valve procedure on a patient who had previously undergone heart valve replacement surgery.

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According to AICTS, the patient developed severe tricuspid valve regurgitation after an earlier valve replacement, causing significant disruption to blood circulation. The condition can lead to swelling in the legs and abdomen, liver congestion, extreme fatigue, and breathing difficulties.

Doctors said performing a second open-heart surgery on the patient would have carried an exceptionally high risk due to the previous cardiac operation and the patient’s medical condition.

To overcome this challenge, the medical team opted for an advanced Bicaval Transcatheter Valve Implantation (CAVI) procedure. Instead of reopening the chest, surgeons implanted two valves simultaneously into the major veins leading to the right atrium, preventing the backward flow of blood and significantly improving circulation with minimal surgical trauma.

Following the procedure, the patient’s condition showed marked improvement, highlighting the effectiveness of this next-generation catheter-based treatment for complex heart valve disorders.

Cardiology experts believe Bicaval Transcatheter Valve Implantation is emerging as a promising alternative for elderly patients and those who are not suitable candidates for repeat open-heart surgery because of previous operations or other serious medical conditions.

While Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) has become a widely accepted treatment worldwide, AICTS noted that Bicaval Valve Implantation remains an evolving technology with limited global clinical experience.

The successful surgery marks another milestone in India’s rapidly advancing structural heart disease treatment and demonstrates the growing expertise of Indian specialists in catheter-based management of complex valve disorders.

AICTS said the achievement represents a significant advancement for the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and further strengthens its position as one of India’s leading centres for advanced cardiothoracic care and innovative cardiac interventions.

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