New Delhi/NCR, November 26 2018: For the first time in India, a team of doctors led by Dr Ashok
Seth, supported by Professor Saibal Kar of Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Centre, Los
Angeles, successfully performed the catheter-based procedure of MitraClip to repair a leaking heart
valve without surgery in a 69-years old gentleman who was suffering from repeated heart failure and
in whom open heart surgery was not possible. The patient had previous bypass surgery 13-years ago
and more recently his heart was getting enlarged due to a severely leaking valve leading to
breathlessness and heart failure. Till now, open heart surgery with repair or replacement of the valve
had been the only possible treatment for such patients in India but it is often high risk and may not be
beneficial. Similar was the case in this patient and so he underwent the MitraClip procedure
successfully.
Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said, “The MitraClip is a novel catheter-based
non-surgical repair of the mitral valve inside the heart and is performed in the Cath Lab like
angioplasty. Special catheters are inserted through the large vein in the groin and the catheter is
passed from the right chamber of the heart to the left chamber of the heart by puncturing the partition
called interatrial septum. Then under echocardiography and X-ray guidance, a clip is put on the leaking
mitral valve to decrease the leak which improves the condition of a patient. The patient is normally
ready to be discharged in 24-48 hours’ time.”
Professor Saibal Kar of Cedars Sinai Heart Centre, Los Angeles said, “Recently the COAPT trial,
published in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated the benefits of MitraClip procedure
not only in improving the wellbeing and symptoms of the patient but also improving the survival of
patient over 2-years. With the introduction of MitraClip to India, we hope to benefit a number of
patients who are gradually deteriorating from leaking valves, despite medications and are unsuitable
for valve replacement surgery.”
MitraClip mitral valve repair without open-heart surgery is one of the innovative scientific
advancements of recent times. A few years ago it was unbelievable to think that a valve which lies within the heart could be repaired by catheters, in an angioplasty-like procedure without opening the
heart and putting the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass. A leaking mitral valve affects nearly 10%
of the population who have coronary artery disease, heart attacks or bypass surgery and continues to
increase with age. The continuously leaking valves put pressure on the heart causing breathlessness.
If left untreated, it leads to enlargement of the heart, heart failure and death. These patients are
either at high risk for valve surgery or do not benefit from it.
About Fortis Escorts Heart Institute
Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI), Delhi, a pioneer and centre of excellence in cardiac care, is celebrating 28
years of path-breaking work and service to the numerous heart patients, who have benefitted from treatment,
at this outstanding facility. Armed with clinical expertise and cutting-edge medical technology, the hospital has
set enviable benchmarks in Cardiac Bypass Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Interventional Cardiology, Noninvasive
Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. Till date, FEHI has successfully completed
over 1,79,000 Coronary Angiographies, over 97,000 Cardiac Surgeries and almost 62,000 Coronary Angioplasties,
in addition to several life-saving procedures. The hospital also performed India’s first Trans-Catheter Aortic Valve
Implantation (TAVI) and Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS); Asia Pacific’s first Directional Atherectomy,
Angioscopy, Drug Eluting Stenting, etc. Over the years, FEHI has cloned a Heart Care Network of 19 hospitals and
Heart Command Centers in India and abroad. It has also launched the revolutionary e-ICU program, enabling remote and timely access to critical care. Fortis Escorts Heart Institute has won numerous awards and accolades,
the most recent among them being the ‘Best Cardiology Hospital’ at the ICICI Lombard & CNBC TV18 India
Healthcare Awards for 2012, 2013 and the No 1. Ranking in the Private Cardiac category Hospital by The Week
Nielson Best Hospitals Survey, 2014 and 2015.

About Fortis Healthcare Limited:
Fortis Healthcare Limited is a leading integrated healthcare delivery service provider in India. The healthcare
verticals of the company primarily comprise hospitals, diagnostics and day care speciality facilities. Currently, the
company operates its healthcare delivery services in India, Dubai, Mauritius and Sri Lanka with 45 healthcare
facilities (including projects under development), approximately 10,000 potential beds and over 378 diagnostic
centres. For more information, please visit www.fortishealthcare.com