India, July 14 -- Jaipur - For the first time in India, doctors at Rajasthan Hospital, Jaipur have successfully replaced a heart valve through the artery in the arm without surgery, using a breakthrough technique called Percutaneous Trans-Axillary TAVI. The patient, a 78-year-old man (name changed to Hemendra), had severely blocked arteries in both legs due to calcium buildup, which made the conventional transcatheter valve implantation through the femoral artery impossible.

Dr. Ravindra Singh Rao, Vice Chairman of Rajasthan Hospital, and his team performed this innovative and life-saving procedure, claiming it as the first such case in India. Normally, TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) is done by passing an artificial valve...