American multinational medical devices and health care company Abbott Laboratory’s Indian subsidiary, Abbott India, has announced recently that it has launched its latest generation transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system, marketed as Navitor in the country to treat people in India with severe aortic stenosis, a type of heart valve disease where the valve between the lower left heart chamber and aorta, the main artery of the body is narrowed and does not open fully with the minimally invasive surgical system.

American multinational medical devices and health care company Abbott Laboratory’s Indian subsidiary, Abbott India, has announced recently that it has launched its latest generation transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system, marketed as Navitor in the country to treat people in India with severe aortic stenosis, a type of heart valve disease where the valve between the lower left heart chamber and aorta, the main artery of the body is narrowed and does not open fully with the minimally invasive surgical system.

The valve system has a unique design feature that reduces the risk of blood leakage around it, Abbott said in a media statement.

Available data suggest that one in 40 people aged 75 and older have severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis, for whom open-heart surgery is considered a high-risk procedure due to the potential complications stemming from age, frailty or having multiple other diseases or conditions.

In such a scenario, TAVI serves as a less invasive alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement and can reduce symptoms and improve the lives of patients with this debilitating condition, the statement added.

“For people in India suffering from aortic stenosis and unable to have surgery, this TAVI system offers a safe and effective treatment option. The size ranges allow for patient-specific sizing and optimal valve function,” Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi, said.

“While transcatheter valve replacement has for some time been a standard of care for elderly patients with a narrowing of the aortic valve, this device helps to address challenges we sometimes find in current TAVI systems when we encounter challenging patient anatomies which may lead to potential problems and difficulties,” he added.

“Aortic valve replacement can be a challenging procedure for people with complications such as age or comorbidities. For such people, a minimally invasive procedure is beneficial,” Dr Praveen Chandra, Chairman of Interventional and Structural Heart Cardiology at Medanta, Gurgaon, said.

Noting that this TAVI system offers design advantages, helping the surgeons with accurate placement and easy access to the coronary arteries for future interventions, he added, “These attributes help with better patient outcomes, even across challenging anatomies.”

Pointing out that transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a viable option for patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis, especially those who have high surgical risk, Dr Ravinder Singh Rao, Interventional and Structural Cardiologist, Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, said that after a transcatheter procedure, a vast majority of our patients can go home in a couple of days.

“What is especially good for physicians is the flexible catheter enabling excellent deliverability even in patients with complex anatomies,” Dr Rao added.