Sutureless valve marks new leap in cardiac surgery

JAIPUR: Giving a new dimension to cardiac surgery in the state, doctors have conducted three cases of aorta valve replacement (AVR), without using sutures, which are required in conventional method.

City-based cardiac surgeons conducted AVR using stented, sutureless valve, prepared from bovine tissues.

Aiming to reduce the risk involved in conducting surgery of patients who are above 70 years, having chances of more loss of blood and complications related to kidney and lungs, cardiac surgeons used sutureless aorta in AVR.

“The conventional method of replacing diseased aorta takes at least four hours, but the surgery which we have conducted using new sutureless valve takes just two hours. Also, the advantage of sutureless valve is that it matches exactly the size of aortic valve, which we have to replace,” said Dr Ajeet Bana, chairman, cardiac sciences, of a private hospital, who performed the surgery.

Patients suffering from Aortic Stenosis (AS), which is a pathological narrowing of the aortic valve that obstructs blood flow out of the heart, requires AVR.

However, the population above 50 or 60 years, are at higher risk of AS. According to the doctors, AS is commonly caused by age-related calcification of the aortic valves.

Dr Bana said, “For patients with severe symptomatic AS, AVR is the standard of care. In the absence of valve replacement, patients die on average within two to three years of the emergence of symptoms.”

He said, “Sutureless bioprosthesis simplify aortic valve replacement. In the cases we performed, we just removed the diseased valve and replaced it with

stented, sutureless valve without any suture. The valve allows quick placement with a reduced operation time. Shorter operation times can sometimes lower complication risks and sometimes result in faster recovery time.”

The three patients with AS have undergone AVR using sutureless valve.

Cardiac surgeons are giving a new dimension to risky heart surgeries. Recently, a cardiac surgeon conducted surgery using miniature pump in a highrisk patient with 90% arteries blockages.