Doctors at Amrita Hospital in Faridabad provided an Ethiopian woman a new lease on life by successfully completing a complicated and high-risk redo Mitral Valve Replacement surgery with advanced clinical care and compassion.
Mahlet Tadesse Haile, 44 years old, underwent open heart surgery almost 19 years ago, where a bioprosthetic mitral valve was implanted. Over this period, Mahlet has had 4 full-term pregnancies; however, the pregnancies placed substantial physiological strain on her heart. This ultimately caused her tissue valve to fail and to become nonfunctional over time, and created increasing episodes of extreme fatigue, progressive breathlessness, and an inability to conduct daily activities.
When Mahlet visited Amrita Hospital for an evaluation, doctors confirmed that her mitral valve had failed significantly and she also suffered from severe pulmonary hypertension (extremely elevated blood pressure within the lungs). Compounding the complexity of the case was the fact that Mahlet had only one healthy kidney and, therefore, her renal health must be protected during treatment.
“In this case, even opening the chest carries a risk of catastrophic bleeding. Add to this Mahlet’s single kidney, and every clinical decision had to be measured with absolute accuracy,” said Dr Sameer Bhate, Senior Consultant and Head of Adult Cardiac Surgery at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.
He explained Mahlet’s surgical procedure was complicated due to her previous open-heart surgery, which had caused her heart to stick to the chest bone (sternum) and posed a substantial risk associated with reopening the chest cavity as a result of this. With the addition of only one functioning kidney, every step needed to be planned with extreme caution and carried out with precision.
The surgical team and Mahlet and her family had multiple conversations about the options of a mechanical heart valve versus a tissue heart valve. After reviewing all factors—including Mahlet’s age, activity levels, and kidney function—the team made the decision to use a tissue heart valve so that she would have the best quality of life possible.
Regardless of all the risks involved, Mahlet’s surgical procedure was performed without any problems, and her recovery was going according to plan; Mahlet’s kidney function continued to be well maintained, her heart was beating normally again, and within just a few days, she had begun to regain her physical strength.
When Mahlet was discharged from the hospital, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. After travelling from Ethiopia, not expecting to be able to have such a complicated surgery, she and her family were very grateful for all that had happened through their journey. Her surgery was a success, and she received great care throughout the entire process.
Mahlet said that she can now breathe and has a lot more energy than I did before. She also added that the extreme fatigue and breathlessness she had experienced for many years are no longer there. She felt free to move around and was able to live independently, and also has hope to return to Ethiopia completely changed.
This accomplishment shows that the Hospital supports the vision to provide the best services and care for all people through compassion, excellence, and inclusivity. With this combination of experience and the patient’s needs as the main focus, Amrita will continue to provide hope and healing to individuals throughout India and around the globe, especially in very complicated and high-risk medical situations.
