Mumbai, Sep 29 (IANS): The first-ever MitraClip heart surgeries in western India on two senior citizens were performed at the Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital (SHNRFH), with the duo going home in 48 hours, officials said here on Wednesday.

The novel procedures were carried out by a team of cardiologists comprising Maulik Parekh, Nihar Mehta, S.R. Handa, Harvesp Panthaky and Kritika Sharma, said Tarang Gianchandani, CEO, Reliance Foundation Hospital.

The two male patients are Sudhir Mehta (78), who was suffering from heart failure plus chest infection, and Ramesh Radia, 80, with swelling of legs, palpitation with erratic heartbeats and breathlessness.

MitraClip is a highly specialised and sophisticated treatment to repair a leaking mitral valve without the need for an open-heart surgery by 'clipping' of the two leaflets of the valve at the spot from where it leaks.

Leakages occur in the mitral valve for a variety of reasons like heart blockages, dilatation of the heart chambers, valve leaflet prolapse etc., and MitraClip is possible for most such cases with encouraging results, the hospital said.

Widely used in the advanced countries, the treatment is now available at the SHNRFH with benefits like reduction in valve regurgitation, decreased changes of breathlessness and hospitalisation, favourable reduction in heart size, avoidance of a risky open-heart surgery and improved life quality.

While Mehta, diagnosed with severe leakage of mitral valve, was operated on August 23, Radia was found to have mitral valve prolapse with severe regurgitation and was operated on August 24.

Both patients were up and about soon after the surgeries and were discharged from the hospital within two days.

Parekh said that MitraClip would benefit scores of elderly patients suffering from severe mitral regurgitations.

Mehta said the patients suffering from mitral valve leaks who require repeated hospitalisation with breathlessness can now be treated without the risks involved in open-heart surgery.

The SHNRFH is a 345-bed multispecialty, technologically advanced tertiary care hospital accredited by the Joint Commission International and NABH.