Mumbai: A 60-year-old woman who faced a 30% risk of mortality underwent a successful tricuspid valve replacement surgery with the support of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). The surgery was critical due to the severe weakening of her right heart, a condition exacerbated by a leaking tricuspid valve. The use of ECMO during the procedure helped support her heart function and enabled her successful recovery.
The patient had been initially admitted two years back and had underwent angioplasty post suffering a heart attack. Initially after doing well on follow-up, she eventually developed a new cardiac problem in the form of a leaking right heart valve with swelling in the abdomen and legs.
Dr. Parin Sangoi, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central, said, “She was stabilized with aggressive medical management prior to the valve surgery. Her blood vessels were doing fine but her valve had given way and hence a multidisciplinary approach was very important as the case was a high risk one. Managing patients with right heart failure is a challenge since its involved lot of fluid restriction and medical prescription to balance the vital organs in a correct way.”
A multidisciplinary team, including intensive care, anesthesia, and cardiology specialists, was involved in planning the complex surgery. The doctors used the ECMO machine, which works as an extracorporeal life support for patients whose heart is too weak to function on their own.
Dr. Gulshan Rohra, Consultant Cardio-thoracic Surgeon at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central, who led the surgery, said, “Tricuspid valve replacement is one of the most challenging surgeries due to the strain it places on the already weakened right heart. In this case, the ECMO machine allowed us to support the heart while gradually restoring its function. This approach significantly contributed to her positive outcome."
"The collaboration between teams was vital. ECMO is an advanced life support system, and its use in this case gave us the buffer we needed to allow the heart to recover gradually post-surgery," said Dr. Charudatt Vaity, director of Critical Medicine at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central.
Following a period of sedation and careful monitoring in the ICU, the patient was successfully weaned off ECMO and the ventilator. She has since made a full recovery and returned for follow-up in excellent health.
