55 Years Old Survived Redo Valve Replacement & Repair Surgery

Udaipur : At the age of 25, Kamal Suhalka, Udaipur resident, had to undergo his first valve surgery. Recently, at 55, with two more valve replacements, Suhalka underwent Mitral Valve Replacement and Tricuspid Valve Repair Surgery at Geetanjali Medical College & Hospital’s Cardiac Center.

He was suffering from breathlessness, restlessness and discomfort, to which he was brought to Geetanjali Medical College & Hospital for consultation at Geetanjali Cardiac Center. Consultation from Cardiologist Dr. Danny Kumar & investigations of 2-D Echocardiography revealed the abnormalities including dysfunction of two valves with severe elevated lung pressure.

“This was an extremely complicated case as the patient who has been operated once and was now in need of a redo valve replacement and repair surgery. The redo valve surgery is a very complex procedure in itself and with the added complications of double valve surgery; it made the operation very risky. During the procedure, it was found that due to previous surgery, the stitches had been calcified and had become as solid as rocks. Due to this it was really impossible to use scissors to tear the heart apart for valve replacements. But the layer of calcifies lesions was removed and the valves were repaired and replaced,” said Dr. Sanjay Gandhi, Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgeon, Geetanjali Cardiac Center who operated on Kamal Suhalka.

Talking about Suhalka’s case history, Dr. Gandhi added, “This patient had a problem of contraction between valves some 30 years back. To cope up with the same he underwent a valve surgery at Mumbai. Due to calcification of heart walls it was really very difficult to open & close the heart before and after the surgery. It may lead to excessive bleeding resulting ultimately into patient’s death. Usually, in this case where the calcified walls reacted as a resistant to surgery and represented it as a very rare case to be diagnosed.”

Valve replacement surgery is a solution for patients whose valves are too fragile, scarred, or otherwise damaged to repair. The heart has four valves, out of which the mitral and aortic valves, which are valves on the left side of the heart are replaced commonly. The tricuspid valve is a valve on the right side, and its replacement is not very common. “A surgery where both mitral and tricuspid valves are replaced and repaired is fairly very rare, as we have to work on both the sides of the heart. In my experience of performing more than 7000-8000 cardiac surgeries from last 15 years it has been really very rare surgery I have performed with the walls of the heart calcified,” said Dr. Gandhi.