GRS News India : Kolkata, 5th March 2026: In a rare and highly complex cardiac procedure, Dr. Soumya Patra, Senior Consultant – Cardiology and Director – Cath Lab, along with his team at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur, a unit of one of the largest healthcare providers of India successfully implanted a permanent pacemaker in a patient who had an artificial bicaval valve system, a highly specialised treatment used in patients suffering from severe tricuspid regurgitation (a condition where a valve on the right side of the heart does not close properly, causing blood to flow backward) and congestive heart failure. To the best of medical knowledge, this is the first such case in India and has been reported only once globally.
The procedure was carried out with support from Dr. Subhasish Deb, Consultant – Cardiology, and the dedicated cath lab team at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur.
The patient, Shyamali Biswas, a 62-year-old homemaker from Sonarpur, had a long history of severe heart disease. In 2023, she underwent tricuspid valve replacement surgery in Vellore after her natural tricuspid valve became severely damaged. Due to advanced heart failure, she received an artificial bicaval valve system instead of a conventional valve repair. Earlier this year, she began feeling unwell and was admitted to Manipal Hospital Mukundapur on 2nd February after being diagnosed with complete heart block, a serious condition where faulty electrical signals cause the heart to beat dangerously slowly.
Given the critical nature of her condition, doctors advised an urgent pacemaker implantation. However, the procedure was exceptionally challenging because the patient already had an artificial valve placed in the superior vena cava, one of the main blood vessels returning blood to the heart. This superior vena caval valve created significant difficulty in placing the pacemaker lead using conventional techniques, as pacemaker wires usually pass through these veins to reach the heart.
Despite these challenges, the cardiology team successfully implanted the pacemaker through meticulous planning, advanced technical skills, and precise execution.
Explaining the uniqueness of the procedure, Dr. Soumya Patra said, ““This was an extremely rare and technically demanding case because the artificial bicaval valve system completely changes the normal anatomy of the heart. The presence of a valve in the superior vena cava makes conventional pacemaker lead implantation particularly challenging, as even minor misplacement can damage the valve or compromise blood flow. To our knowledge, this is the first such procedure in India and only the second reported worldwide. The success reflects not only advanced cardiac expertise but also seamless teamwork and careful pre-procedure planning.”
Expressing her gratitude, Nabanita Biswas, daughter of the patient, said, “We were extremely anxious about my mother’s condition, especially since she had already undergone major heart surgery in 2023. We are deeply thankful to Dr. Soumya Patra and his team for handling such a complex case with great care and precision. My mother is currently on BiPAP support and under regular medical follow-up, and we are hopeful she will return to her normal life very soon.”
Patients with artificial tricuspid valves who later require pacemakers are extremely rare. Successfully performing such a complex intervention marks a significant milestone in advanced cardiac care and further strengthens Manipal Hospital Mukundapur’s position as a leading centre for managing rare and high-risk heart procedures.
About Manipal Hospitals
As a pioneer in healthcare, Manipal Hospitals is among the top healthcare providers in India, serving over 8 million patients annually. With a focus on providing affordable, high-quality healthcare services, Manipal Hospitals’ integrated network today has a pan-India footprint of 49 hospitals across 24
cities, with over 12,600 licensed beds, supported by a talented pool of 11,000+ doctors and an employee strength of more than 34,000. Manipal Hospitals provides comprehensive curative and preventive care to patients from India and across the globe. The group is AAHRPP accredited, and most hospitals in its network are NABH, NABL, ER and Blood Bank accredited, and recognised for Nursing Excellence.
