Healing the Heart Without Surgery: A Leap in Structural Interventions

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in India, affecting millions each year. For decades, patients with diseased heart valves had only one option — open-heart surgery. It was lifesaving but also complex, painful, and often too risky for elderly patients. In recent years, however, a revolution has quietly transformed this landscape. Through structural heart interventions, valves can now be repaired or replaced without opening the chest. These procedures have redefined the limits of modern cardiology, offering patients new hope and faster recovery.

- By Dr Vishal Rastogi, Director Interventional Cardiology and Head Advanced Heart Failure Program, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi

The Minimally Invasive Solution

Two most common valve diseases are aortic stenosis, where the heart's aortic valve becomes narrowed and restricts blood flow, and mitral regurgitation, where the mitral valve fails to close properly, causing blood to leak backward. Both conditions force the heart to work harder, eventually leading to heart failure if left untreated.

Traditionally, these patients faced a difficult choice: undergo risky open-heart surgery or manage symptoms with medication while their condition gradually worsened. Many elderly patients with multiple health issues were simply deemed inoperable.

Enter TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) and TEER (Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair) – procedures that are changing the game entirely. These innovative treatments allow cardiologists to repair or replace damaged heart valves without cracking open the chest.