Chennai is emerging as one of India's leading centres for advanced structural heart care, with advanced heart valve procedures growing by approximately 30% year-on-year. The city now performs around 400 advanced heart valve procedures annually and is increasingly attracting patients from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and other parts of the country, reinforcing its position as a national referral hub for specialised heart valve treatment.
Speaking on the importance of early diagnosis, Dr. S. Nagendra Boopathy, Professor of Cardiology, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Lead – Structural Heart Disease Interventions, Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Chennai, said that symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue and reduced activity are often mistaken for ageing. He stressed that timely diagnosis through echocardiography and treatment using Chennai's multidisciplinary Heart Team approach can significantly improve patient outcomes and enhance confidence among patients and families.
Doctors also highlighted the need to improve access to specialised heart valve care across Tamil Nadu and southern India. With Tamil Nadu projected to become India's oldest state by 2031 and many elderly people living outside Chennai, expanding advanced cardiac evaluation and the collaborative Heart Team model beyond major cities will be essential for ensuring timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment for more patients.