Patient treated for hole in heart without surgery at hospital in Katra

A 34-year man presented with exertional breathlessness and palpitations for 3 months duration was successfully treated for hole in the heart without a surgery at Narayana Hospital Katra.

In a statement the hospital said that the patient was advised for either open heart surgery with patch or closure of the hole using the groin i.e. percutaneous transcatheter device closure somewhat similar to angiography. "Using Groin (Femoral vein) as access, the catheter was advanced across the defect into the LA; and 26 mm Amplatzer ASD device was released across the defect and the hole was closed. Post procedural TEE showed the device in situ with no residual leaks/shunt. The patient made an uneventful post procedure recovery and was discharged home within 48 hrs of admission," it said.

Explaining about the case Dr Sushant Kumar Senior Consultant Cardiologist said that the traditional method of closure has been surgical, which has been practiced for more than 50 years. "With advancement in surgical techniques practice has moved to minimal invasive surgical approach, including minimal skin incisions, reduced opening of the thoracic cage thus allowing faster rehabilitation but still requires 4-5 days of hospital stay with due surgical procedure risk," he said. "Obvious Advantages include minimal risk of infection because of short hospital stay (24-48hrs), neglible blood loss, no need of operation, cosmetic reasons especially in females (no scar marks), patients deemed unfit for surgery with multiple comorbidities."

The statement said that this is the first reported case of transcatheter closure of ostium secundum ASD with deficient aortic rim in Jammu.