Kolkata: Manipal Hospital Achieves a Significant Milestone in India’s Maternal Cardiac Care

 

What began as a race against time to save a young mother struggling to breathe soon turned into a remarkable story of medical excellence and hope at Manipal Hospitals EM Bypass. In a rare and highly challenging intervention, Dr. Dilip Kumar, Director Cath Lab, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Device and Structural Heart Expert, along with his multidisciplinary team, successfully performed a life-saving Balloon Mitral Valvotomy (BMV) on a 26-year-old woman from Bhagalpur carrying twins and battling severe heart failure during the 24th week of pregnancy. The complex procedure not only stabilised the critically ill mother but also safeguarded the lives of her unborn babies, marking a significant milestone in the field of maternal-fetal cardiac care in India.

The breakthrough case involved Rojee Kumari, a 26-year-old woman from Bhagalpur, who was referred in an emergency condition during the 24th week of her diamniotic twin pregnancy. She arrived in NYHA Class IV heart failure (the most severe stage of heart failure according to the classification system developed by the New York Heart Association) suffering from severe breathlessness even at rest. Medical investigations revealed critical rheumatic mitral stenosis, a severe narrowing of the heart’s mitral valve, along with severe pulmonary hypertension, placing both the mother and the unborn babies at immediate risk.

Twin pregnancies place significantly greater stress on the cardiovascular system compared to single pregnancies. In patients with severe mitral valve narrowing, the increased blood volume and cardiac demand can rapidly lead to heart failure and life-threatening pulmonary edema. Recognising the urgency and complexity of the case, the medical team led by Dr. Dilip Kumar decided to perform an emergency Balloon Mitral Valvotomy (BMV) a minimally invasive catheter-based cardiac procedure used to widen the narrowed valve and restore blood flow.

Given the highly critical nature of the twin pregnancy, the procedure required meticulous planning and exceptional precision. The medical team took special precautions to ensure the safety of both unborn babies, including advanced radiation protection measures and minimal exposure during the procedure. During the intervention, the first balloon expansion resulted in only partial improvement due to the severe narrowing of the heart valve. The team then carefully performed a second dilation with improved positioning and controlled balloon expansion, which successfully opened the valve further and restored better blood flow. This led to an immediate reduction in pressure inside the heart, rapidly stabilising the patient’s condition.

Following the intervention, the patient showed remarkable recovery and was discharged in a stable condition with significant symptomatic relief. Post-procedure monitoring confirmed no signs of fetal distress or premature labour, allowing the pregnancy to continue safely toward viability.

Speaking about the achievement, Dr. Dilip Kumar said, ““Managing severe mitral stenosis during a twin pregnancy is one of the most challenging situations in interventional cardiology and maternal healthcare. In twin pregnancies, the heart has to work significantly harder to support both the mother and the babies, and when there is a critically narrowed mitral valve, the risk of sudden heart failure, severe breathing distress, and complications for both mother and babies increase tremendously. In such high-risk cases, timely diagnosis and immediate intervention become extremely crucial, as even a small delay can turn life-threatening. Performing Balloon Mitral Valvotomy in a pregnant patient requires extraordinary precision, careful planning, and close coordination between cardiologists, imaging specialists, anesthetists, and obstetric teams to ensure the safety of both the mother and the unborn babies throughout the procedure. Despite the complexity of the case, we were able to successfully stabilise the patient and significantly improve her condition. This successful outcome highlights how advanced minimally invasive cardiac interventions, when performed with expertise and multidisciplinary support, can safely manage even the most complex and critical pregnancy-related cardiac emergencies while protecting both maternal and fetal health.”

Nandkumar Shah, father of Rojee Kumari, shared his gratitude saying, “When Rojee’s condition became critical, we first took her to Bhagalpur Sadar Hospital, where the doctors advised us to immediately consult Dr. Dilip Kumar at Manipal Hospital EM Bypass. We reached Kolkata on 24th April, and the procedure was successfully performed on 26th April. Rojee’s husband works as a daily wage worker in Delhi, and during such a difficult time, the hospital also supported us with financial considerations and concessions, which meant a lot to our family. After the procedure, she recovered well and on 12th May 2026, she safely delivered a baby boy and a baby girl prematurely in Bhagalpur. Today, both the mother and the babies are healthy and stable. We will always remain grateful to Manipal Hospital EM Bypass and Dr. Dilip Kumar for saving my daughter’s life and giving our family a new hope.”

The Bhagalpur case adds to another similar high-risk twin pregnancy intervention successfully performed by the team in 2023. In that case, a 33-year-old woman from Siliguri carrying IVF-conceived twins was referred in critical condition after unsuccessful treatment attempts elsewhere. She had developed severe heart failure due to critical mitral valve stenosis at 32 weeks of pregnancy. The team at Manipal Hospitals EM Bypass performed an emergency Balloon Mitral Valvotomy, successfully stabilising the mother and enabling the safe continuation of the pregnancy, ultimately saving both the mother and the babies.

With the successful management of these two exceptionally rare and high-risk twin pregnancy cardiac interventions, the team at Manipal Hospital EM Bypass has potentially created the first reported series of such cases not only in India but also globally, making it a landmark achievement in the field of maternal-fetal interventional cardiology.

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’s integrated network today has a pan-India footprint of 49 hospitals across 24 cities with 12,600 licensed beds, and a talented pool of 11,000+ doctors and an employee strength of over 34000. Manipal Hospitals provides comprehensive curative and preventive care for a multitude of patients from around the globe. Manipal Hospitals is AAHRPP accredited and most of the hospitals in its network are NABH, NABL, ER, Blood Bank accredited and recognized for Nursing Excellence.