Prem Chopra Undergoes TAVI Heart Procedure at 90: How This Minimally Invasive Treatment Benefits Elderly Hearts

Prem Chopra recently underwent the TAVI - Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation – after being diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, his son-in-law and actor Sharman Joshi informed. “On behalf of our family, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and admiration for the exemplary treatment my father-in-law, Mr. Prem Chopra Ji, received from esteemed cardiologists Dr. Nitin Gokhale and interventional cardiologist Dr. Ravinder Singh Rao. Dad was diagnosed with severe Aortic Stenosis, and Dr. Rao successfully performed the TAVI procedure, replacing the valve without open-heart surgery,” he wrote on Instagram. The 90-year-old actor was recently hospitalised in Mumbai after he reported trouble breathing and weakness due to a narrowing in his heart valve.

Doctors treating him said that due to his advanced age, open surgery was not possible, which is why his heart's aortic valve was replaced using a non-surgical technique. After the procedure, his condition is reported to be stable.

What is TAVI?

TAVI is a minimally invasive procedure that allows the surgeon to replace a damaged or narrowed aortic valve by deploying a catheter through the blood vessels. According to experts, more than 13 per cent of the population in India is suffering from heart issues, and with more serious cases like severe aortic stenosis - or the narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve – they would need an open-heart surgery. However, doctors say a surgical AVR is a high-risk, complex procedure to perform, especially on elderly patients, above 70 years of age. And so, as a safer option, TAVI helps replace a damaged aortic valve. Unlike a conventional open-heart surgery, TAVI does not require the chest to be opened, as it can be performed through small openings without causing any harm to the chest bones or other organs.

What happens in TAVI?

According to your TAVI procedure, it takes place in a hospital room that looks like an operating theatre. You will be taken to the procedure room on a trolley or wheelchair and be asked to lie on a narrow procedure table. You will be awake throughout your procedure, and your doctor will give you medication to help you relax. During your procedure: The area is numbed, and either a local anaesthetic with sedation or a general anaesthetic is given. This will be discussed with you before your procedure

• A balloon catheter is inserted into an artery in either your groin or underneath your collarbone
• The balloon catheter is guided into your heart and positioned within the opening of the aortic valve
• The balloon is inflated to open up the valve
• The doctor implants a new aortic valve using a metal mesh tube, which keeps the valve in place - the new valve either expands by itself or is expanded using the balloon, depending on the type of valve used
• The new valve is positioned to push aside your damaged aortic valve
• The balloon is deflated, and your doctor removes the balloon catheter.

Are there any risks associated with TAVI?

While doctors opine that the TAVI procedure is generally safe and effective, it still carries some risks that everyone must be aware of, which include:

Valve leaks

In a few rare cases, if the new valve is unable to replace the old one, there may be a blood leak around the valve.

Harm to the kidneys

The contrast dye used in the imaging procedure can harm the kidneys. This problem is completely reversible, but again important enough to be discussed.

Vessel damage

Passing catheters through the arteries can cause damage to them. This damage is mostly repairable.