New Delhi: In a first, a dog with a complex heart condition underwent a minimally invasive cardiac surgery. The surgery has been conducted by a group of veterinary doctors in Delhi, the doctors claimed that this is the first time in India that such a surgery has been successfully conducted.
The seven-year-old beagle, named Juliet was suffering from Mitral valve disease for over the last two years, reported PTI. Dr Bhanu Dev Sharma, an interventional cardiologist for small animals at Max PetZ Hospital in East of Kailash in the report explained, the condition is caused by degenerative alterations in mitral valves leaflets which result in backflow of blood within the left upper chamber of the heart failure in which the fluid builds-up in the lungs when the disease progresses.
Surgeons performed surgery called ‘Hybrid surgery’
The doctors involved in the procedure, performed a Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) process using a valve clamp on the dog on May 30. The surgery is called ‘hybrid surgery’ as it is a combination of a microsurgery and an interventional method. According to Dr Sharma, the best part about this surgery is that it is a minimally invasive method since it is a beating heart procedure and is not like an open heart surgery which needs a heart-lung bypass machine.
As per the pet parents, the dog was given heart medications for the past year. After this, Juliet was discharged in a stable medical condition just two days after the surgery.
What is Mitral Valve disease?
Mitral Valve disease is a common heart condition that majorly affects small to medium-sized dogs as they grow up. The mitral valve undergoes degenerative changes like thickening and prolapse. Such changes prevent the valve from closing properly which causes the valve to leak.
Mitral Valve condition is the most common heart condition in dogs in India as well as across the world, accounting for 80 per cent of all heart diseases in dogs in India and the world. The condition is the leading cause of death among dogs everywhere.
What are the treatments available for this?
According to reports, the only treatment available currently for the condition is the medicinal treatment that delays the onset of clinical signs in the dog and reduces the pain in them for some time. It is not curative. However, other options include, open heart mitral valve surgery which is not a very viable option owing to the highly invasive nature of the procedure as it is conducted in very limited centres across the globe.
What is Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair procedure conducted?
TEER is completely an image-guided procedure and it is done under the trans oesophageal 4D echocardiography and fluoroscopy guidance in a beating heart. During this process, a small incision is made on the chest well to get access to the apex of the heart after which via a catheter the two leaflets of the disease mitral valve are clamped together to lower the leakage across the valve under the rules of high-tech equipment.
The surgery has been conducted by a group of veterinary doctors in Delhi, the doctors claimed that this is the first time in India that such a surgery has been successfully conducted. Health Conditions Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
