South India’s First Tricuspid Clip Procedure Performed at Gleneagles Hyderabad

6^th March, 2026 — Hyderabad: In a major milestone for cardiac care in India, doctors at Gleneagles Hospitals (Fortis Network) have successfully performed South India’s first Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair (T-TEER), on a 75-year-old patient suffering from severe tricuspid regurgitation and advanced heart failure. The procedure, led by Dr. M. Sai Sudhakar, also marks the first implantation of India’s indigenously developed TEER system — MyClip, offering a minimally invasive and more accessible treatment option for high-risk patients who are not ideal candidates for open-heart surgery.

The patient had been experiencing severe breathlessness, persistent fatigue and fluid accumulation even at rest, significantly affecting his daily life and overall quality of life. After a detailed clinical evaluation, the heart team recommended a catheter-based repair procedure to address the leaking valve.

Tricuspid regurgitation occurs when the tricuspid valve on the right side of the heart fails to close properly, causing blood to leak backward within the heart. Over time, this can lead to swelling in the legs and abdomen, worsening fatigue and progressive heart failure. The condition has long remained under-recognised and historically managed mainly with medications aimed at symptom control rather than correcting the underlying valve defect.

The Tricuspid Clip therapy offers a minimally invasive alternative. Through a small puncture in a vein in the leg, doctors guide a catheter to the heart using advanced imaging. A small clip device is then placed on the leaking valve to help it close more effectively, reducing backward blood flow and improving heart function.

“This procedure represents an important step forward in the treatment of tricuspid valve disease, which has historically remained underdiagnosed and undertreated, particularly in elderly and high-risk patients,” said Dr. M. Sai Sudhakar. “In many cases, patients continue to suffer from severe breathlessness, swelling and fatigue because treatment options were limited, especially when they were not suitable candidates for open-heart surgery. With Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair (T-TEER), we are able to repair the leaking valve through a minimally invasive catheter-based approach by placing a small clip device that helps the valve leaflets come together and reduce the backward flow of blood.”

He further added, “What makes this milestone even more significant is the use of an indigenously developed device, MyClip, manufactured in India. The availability of such home-grown structural heart technology has the potential to substantially reduce the cost of treatment and expand access to advanced valve therapies for a much larger number of patients who previously had very limited options.”

Because the therapy avoids opening the chest, recovery is typically faster and the overall procedural stress may be lower compared to conventional surgery—an important advantage for elderly patients and those with multiple medical conditions.

Dr. Sudhakar also acknowledged the coordinated efforts of the cath lab, imaging, anesthesia, nursing and critical care teams, emphasising that multidisciplinary collaboration remains essential for the success of complex structural heart interventions.