A team of doctors at the Apollo Hospitals here has successfully treated five critically ill patients suffering from valve disease with Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) on a single day.

TAVR is an advanced sutureless procedure to replace damaged aortic valve and is a boon for patients with high surgical risk.

The team of doctors led by A Sreenivas Kumar, Senior Consultant Cardiologist & Director, Cardiology and Clinical Research, performed the surgery.

The hospital claimed that the treatment of this type and scale was the first of its kind.

“Most patients coming for this procedure are in a critical condition and therefore flawless protocol is essential,” said K Hari Prasad, President-Hospitals Division, said in a release.

About 30 to 40 per cent of aortic valve patients, if not treated in time, may succumb within 18 months to two years.

The gold standard treatment for this is replacing the valve by performing open heart surgery.

But 40 per cent of these patients are found to be ineligible for the surgery due to the high risk on account of advanced age and associated health problems. TAVR provides a new lease of life for such patients, the release said.