India May Get Advanced Heart Valve Procedure in Five Years 1,500 Doctors Trained at Hyderabad Conference

Cardiac patients in India could get access to advanced transcatheter aortic regurgitation intervention within the next five years, according to senior cardiologists.

At the ACVS India workshop held by Facts Foundation in Hyderabad on Friday, experts from the US and Europe demonstrated the procedure to around 1,500 doctors through a live transmission for the first time from the United States. The three-day conference focuses on preventing and managing complications during coronary and structural heart interventions.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Dr A. Sreenivas Kumar, founder director of FACTS Foundation, said the live transmission allowed Indian doctors to observe the advanced procedure in real time. "This procedure is not yet available in India and is expected to take another five years before it receives regulatory approval," he said.

Another major attraction was the live satellite transmission of advanced cardiac procedures from leading medical centres in the US and Germany. Foreign specialists noted that India is witnessing a higher number of cardiac deaths among younger people compared to many other countries.

Dr Susheel Kodali, a senior consultant cardiologist at NYU Langone Health, New York, said minimally invasive catheter-based treatments were rapidly changing cardiovascular care. While transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is now performed more often than open-heart valve surgery in the US, he stressed that selecting the right patient is just as important as the procedure itself.

However, he said affordability and access remain major challenges for countries like India.

Prof. Eberhard Grube of Germany said structural heart interventions have transformed the treatment of valve disease since TAVR was introduced in 2002. He said India has the potential to play a key role in developing indigenous medical devices and advancing structural heart treatments in the future.

Dr Miroslaw Ferenc from Germany said treating heavily calcified coronary arteries has become increasingly challenging as populations age. He said new technologies such as orbital atherectomy, rotablation, laser therapy and shockwave treatment are improving the success of minimally invasive procedures.

Delegates were being trained in the latest technologies to treat heavily calcified heart valves, chronic total coronary blockages and high-risk heart procedures using devices such as the Impella, a catheter-based heart pump that temporarily supports blood circulation during complex interventions.

Dr Ramesh Daggubati, professor of cardiology at West Virginia University School of Medicine, highlighted that heart disease prevention through a healthy diet, regular exercise, weight control and management of diabetes and cholesterol remains the best strategy.