Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 13 Aug: A heart patient battling between life and death was given a new beginning by specialists at Graphic Era Hospital through the ‘TEER’ procedure. This treatment was performed for the first time in Uttarakhand and neighbouring states.
The 65-year-old man from Tehri had been struggling with heart disease for the past year. Every breath had become a struggle for him, with swelling in his legs and frequent episodes of critical condition making life unbearable. Tests revealed that his mitral valve was leaking severely. His fragile heart and lung condition made open-heart surgery impossible.
Considering the seriousness of the case, Cardiologist Dr Raj Pratap Singh, Heart Surgeon Dr Akhilesh Pandey, Anaesthesia Specialist Dr SP Gautam, Dr Himanshu Rana, and their team performed a catheter-based mitral valve clip procedure for the first time. In this Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) technique, a catheter was passed through the thigh up to the heart, and a clip was placed on the leaking valve to stop the leakage. This non-surgical procedure was carried out with the help of live 4D transesophageal echo imaging.
Dr Himanshu Rana explained that such valve leakage is found in 10% of patients who have had a heart attack, bypass surgery, or coronary artery disease, and the problem tends to worsen with age. Without timely treatment, it can lead to heart failure and even death. Dr SP Gautam called it a major achievement in medical science, once thought impossible. Dr Akhilesh Pandey said that while Graphic Era Hospital has already been a centre for surgical and transcatheter valve replacements, this advanced non-surgical option will now benefit countless patients.
The patient’s health improved rapidly, and he was discharged from the hospital in just three days.
