Hospital achieves breakthrough with first valve-in-valve TAVR procedures

Mangaluru: Ina milestone for cardiac care in India, Indiana Hospital and Heart Institute in Mangaluru has successfully performed two complex Valve-in-Valve TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) procedures—marking the first time such interventions have been conducted in the region.

Dr Yusuf Ali Kumble, Interventional Cardiologist and Managing Director of the hospital, said the procedures were part of their Structural Heart Program, which is now in its sixth year of serving Karnataka’s coastal, Malnad, and North Malabar regions.

The first case involved a 72-year-old man with multiple health complications, including a prior open-heart valve replacement done 20 years ago in Kochi. Deemed inoperable by other centres, the patient was successfully treated with Valve-in-Valve TAVR combined with angioplasty. The second case, performed the same day, involved an 80-year-old woman with prior valve surgery and recurring heart failure. Encouraged by the earlier success, she underwent TAVR and recovered without complications.

Unlike conventional open-heart reoperations, Valve-in-Valve TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure where a new valve is inserted inside the old one using a catheter, significantly reducing patient risk.Indiana Hospital had also performed Karnataka’s first surgical Valve-in-Valve procedure four years ago, but this marks a leap forward in precision and safety. With these successful cases, the hospital has reaffirmed its role as a regional leader in advanced structural heart interventions.