Lilavati Hospital Performs India’s First Successful Transatrial TMVR Surgery, Saving 78-Year-Old Woman

Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai has achieved a remarkable medical milestone by successfully performing India’s first Transcatheter Transatrial Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) surgery on a 78-year-old woman suffering from severe Mitral Annular Calcification — a serious heart condition that severely compromises heart function.

The patient, Sujata Sakpal (name changed), had been experiencing worsening breathlessness for months. Simple daily activities such as walking, eating, bathing, and even lying down to sleep had become increasingly difficult. After consulting multiple doctors without relief, her family turned to Lilavati Hospital for help. Comprehensive evaluation revealed extensive calcification of her mitral valve, severely compromising blood flow. Given her age, frail health, and lung condition, conventional open-heart surgery was deemed far too risky, and several hospitals had declined to take on her case.

A specialized team at Lilavati Hospital, led by Dr. Ravinder Singh Rao, Interventional Structural Cardiologist; Dr. Kaushal Pandey, Cardiac Surgeon; and Dr. Uday Gandhi, Cardiac Anaesthesiologist, decided to pursue the advanced TMVR procedure, offering the patient a potential lifeline.

“This surgery offers a new ray of hope to patients who are otherwise considered inoperable,” Dr. Rao added.

Dr. Niraj Uttamani, COO of Lilavati Hospital, emphasized the significance of this achievement: “This surgery is not just a medical breakthrough for India, but a landmark for the entire Asian continent. It reflects Lilavati’s commitment to medical innovation and excellence, offering new hope to critically ill patients.”

Sharing her gratitude, the patient said, “For years, I couldn’t breathe properly or sleep peacefully. Many doctors refused surgery. I was scared. But the team at Lilavati gave me a second chance at life. I am deeply thankful to them.”