TAVI Treatment in Ahmedabad – A New Heart Valve Without Open Surgery

TAVI treatment in Ahmedabad represents one of the most significant advances in the management of aortic valve disease in the last two decades. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation – TAVI – allows a new heart valve to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly inside the diseased native aortic valve, without opening the chest and without a heart-lung bypass machine. 

For patients with severe aortic stenosis who were once told they were too old or too unwell for surgery, TAVI has changed everything. 

At EPIC Multispecialty Hospital in Ahmedabad, TAVI is performed by a structural heart team – an interventional cardiologist and cardiac surgeon working together – using advanced imaging guidance and modern valve delivery systems. 

How TAVI Treatment Works – Step by Step

• A valve within a valve: The diseased aortic valve is not removed. Instead, a new prosthetic valve – mounted on a collapsible metal frame – is compressed onto a delivery catheter and introduced through the femoral artery in the groin. It is advanced across the aortic valve and expanded in position, pushing the diseased leaflets aside and assuming the valve’s function immediately. 

• Minimal invasion, immediate function: Once deployed, the new valve begins functioning immediately. There’s no period of the heart being stopped. The entire procedure is performed on a beating heart, with X-ray and echocardiographic guidance throughout. 

• The transfemoral route is most common: The great majority of TAVI procedures at EPIC Hospital in Ahmedabad use the transfemoral approach – through the femoral artery in the groin. In patients with inadequate femoral artery anatomy, alternative access sites – transapical, transaortic, subclavian – can be used. 

• Performed under sedation, not general anaesthesia in many cases: Depending on patient factors and the specific valve system used, TAVI can be performed under conscious sedation rather than general anaesthesia – reducing respiratory complications and often allowing patients to interact with the team throughout. 

• Short hospital stay: Most TAVI patients at EPIC Hospital are discharged 2 to 4 days post-procedure – dramatically shorter than the 5 to 8 days typical after open surgical valve replacement. 

What TAVI Has Changed for Patients With Aortic Stenosis in Gujarat

Before TAVI became available, the management of severe aortic stenosis in elderly or high-risk patients in Gujarat was, frankly, inadequate. Patients who were poor surgical candidates were managed medically – with medications that could not significantly alter the course of the disease – and told that surgery was too risky. Median survival after symptom onset in untreated severe aortic stenosis is less than two years. 

TAVI has broken that impasse. Patients in their 70s and 80s with severe aortic stenosis and multiple comorbidities – previous strokes, chronic kidney disease, severe lung disease – can now be assessed for TAVI and, if suitable, have their valve problem definitively treated. The improvement in quality of life after TAVI in well-selected patients is frequently remarkable. 

The procedure isn’t suitable for everyone, and the structural heart team at EPIC Hospital in Ahmedabad is careful about patient selection. Some patients who appear to be candidates turn out to have coronary anatomy or valve calcium distribution that makes TAVI inadvisable. Some are better served by surgical replacement despite their age. The honest assessment – not a reflexive ‘yes, you’re a TAVI patient’ – is what we offer. 

TAVI Treatment Questions – What You Need to Know

How long does a TAVI valve last? 

TAVI valves are tissue prostheses and degrade over time, similar to surgical tissue valves. Long-term durability data at 10 years shows most patients maintain good valve function. As TAVI is extended to younger patients, valve-in-valve procedures – a second TAVI inside the first – are increasingly feasible when the original device eventually fails. 

Do I need blood thinners after TAVI treatment in Ahmedabad? 

Most TAVI patients receive dual antiplatelet therapy – aspirin and clopidogrel – for 3 to 6 months post-procedure, followed by single antiplatelet therapy long-term. Patients who also have atrial fibrillation require anticoagulation. Your cardiologist will give you a specific post-TAVI medication plan. 

Is TAVI available for patients who have already had previous open heart surgery? 

Yes. TAVI can be performed in patients with previous cardiac surgery – including those with previous surgical valve replacement whose tissue valve has failed (valve-in-valve TAVI). The presence of prior surgery does not exclude TAVI, though it affects the access site and procedural planning. 

What is the difference between TAVI and open surgical valve replacement? 

Surgical valve replacement removes the diseased native valve and sews in a new prosthesis – highly effective but requires open-chest surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass. TAVI delivers a new valve through a catheter without opening the chest. For high-risk patients, TAVI avoids the surgical trauma. For lower-risk, younger patients, surgery may still be preferred for long-term durability reasons. 

TAVI Treatment in Ahmedabad – A New Option for Valve Patients

TAVI treatment in Ahmedabad at EPIC Multispecialty Hospital has given patients with severe aortic stenosis – patients who were once told there was nothing that could be done – a genuine path to treatment and recovery. If you or a family member has been diagnosed with aortic stenosis and told you’re not a surgical candidate, please come and let us assess you. 

Book a TAVI assessment online, call our structural heart team today, WhatsApp your CT and echocardiography for initial review, or visit EPIC Hospital in Ahmedabad – and find out if TAVI is right for you.