Kozhikode: In a rare medical feat, doctors at the Kozhikode Government Medical College have successfully replaced the pulmonary valve of a 24-year-old patient without performing open-heart surgery.

The patient, a native of Nilambur, had earlier undergone open-heart surgery at the Sathya Sai Institute for a congenital heart condition. The person approached the Cardiology Department of the Kozhikode Medical College after his pulmonary valve developed a major leakage.

Usually, such valve replacements are performed through open-heart surgery using a bypass machine. However, in this case, the doctors opted for a minimally invasive procedure using a 35 mm Myval valve, which was inserted through an artery in the leg. The surgery was performed under the leadership of Dr M P Sreejayan, Superintendent of the Cardiology, Anaesthesia and Cardiothoracic Surgery Departments and the medical college Principal, Dr K G. Sajith Kumar.

The surgical team included Dr G. Rajesh (Head of Cardiology Department), Dr Khadar Muneer, Dr Sajeer, Dr Radha (Head of Anaesthesia Department), Dr Vipin, Dr Sreeshanth, Dr Shafi, and Dr S Rajesh (Head of Cardiothoracic Department). The cath lab team, comprising nurses Ambily and Latha, and technicians Mansoor, Shajith, Harsha, Akshay, Salma and Aishwarya, also played a key role in the procedure.

The surgery was conducted under the supervision of Dr Edwin, Senior Paediatric Cardiologist at Aster Medcity, Kochi.