Transcatheter valve registry inaugurated in Chennai

CHENNAI: Health minister C Vijayabaskar inaugurated a national transcatheter valve registry at an international conference here on Saturday.


The registry will be an online forum where every heart valve implantation done without open surgeries will be entered into a national database. “The procedure will have accountability and help the government follow up on these treatments,” said interventional cardiologist and conference organizer Dr A B Gopalamurugan.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a procedure that allows heart valve to be implanted using a long narrow tube called a catheter. For more than three years now, cardiologists have been replacing and repairing heart valves without surgeons having to open the chest.

During the sessions, attended by more than 800 cardiologists from across the country, senior doctors urged the central government to cap prices of these valves, just like how it did with stents. “At present, a valve cost anywhere between Rs 15lakh and Rs 20lakh depending on type and brand. If the government cuts down on tax and imposes a cap it can be brought down to Rs 5lakh-Rs 9 lakh. We will represent this to the Union ministry. Minister of state for health Ashwini Kumar Choubey was expected here today but due to unavoidable reasons he could not make it to this function,” the cardiologist said.

“Initially, it was a procedure preferred by high-risk patients but today many patients opt for it,” said interventional cardiologist Dr G Sengottuvelu. “Through this conference we hope to spread awareness on heart valve replacement without open surgery,” he said.

The state is the first in the country to offer this procedure free at Omandurar Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Vijayabaskar said.