• The interdisciplinary team at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in India created the artificial valve, “Chitra”.

• The first Chitra heart valve implantation was done in a patient in 1990, leading to the development of two subsequent generations of Chitra heart valves.

• Over the past two years, after receiving approvals from the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO), SCTIMST began a pilot clinical assessment of the TC2 model. 

• 40 valves were successfully implanted without any reported complications.

• Strengthening primary prevention of Rheumatic Heart Diseases (RHDs) could shift the primary cause of heart valve disorders towards degenerative diseases. 

• Hence, SCTIMST  launched a tissue valve development initiative in 2019 for elderly patients undergoing heart valve surgery as part of the Technical Research Centre (TRC) for Biomedical Devices program.

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