Doctors at the KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre successfully performed a very rare surgery to save two heart patients.

Experts at the Department of Neuro and Vascular Interventional Radiology performed a below-knee lithotripsy for peripheral vascular disease (PVD). The hospital claimed this was the first ever such procedure in India.

“This pioneering procedure was carried out using the advanced Meril Mason P lithotripsy device, marks a significant advancement in vascular intervention in the country,” head of the department Mohan D. Gan told reporters in Belagavi on Wednesday.

“This innovation represents a new era in heart valve replacement — one where patients may receive a longer-lasting solution without the lifelong need for blood thinners,” he said.

The first case involved a 68-year-old man with T2DM, hypertension, and a history of CVA, who presented with chest pain and a non-healing ulcer in the interdigital webspace of his left foot for over one month. Despite being on single antiplatelet medication, his symptoms had progressively worsened, necessitating an advanced intervention.

The second case featured a 55-year-old man with known PVD in the left lower limb who had undergone a below-knee recanalisation one year earlier but returned with severe claudication pain lasting two months. Both patients were carefully evaluated and deemed suitable candidates for intravascular lithotripsy (IVL), a novel technique that uses sonic pressure waves to break down calcified plaques within blood vessels, facilitating improved blood flow.

The innovative procedure was performed by a team of doctors and surgeons including Abhinandan Ruge, Abhiman Baloji, Navin Mulimani, Iranna M. Hittalamani, Basavaraj Biradar, and others.

Resident doctors, including Satyam Barchha, Priyanka S.V., Harsh Singh, Vijay Sooriyakumar, Goutham Reddy, Aakarsh Sinha, and others assisted the team. KLE society chairman Prabhakar Kore and others have congratulated the teams.

Original source: in