THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cardiac surgery is set to become cheap when the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), after three years of research, starts production of cardiac patches using de-cellularised animal tissue which is the first of its kind in the country.The research was a joint venture of Kerala Livestock Development Board and SCTIMST, in which the former provided animal tissue sourced from a low risk herd or well-monitored herd. The success of the research helps in producing de-cellularised animal tissue such as bovine pericardium and bovine jugular vein for paediatric cardiac surgery.SCTIMST Biomedical Technology Wing head Dr G S Bhuvaneshwar said that animal trials have been started and the clinical trials are expected to start early next year. “We are in touch with industries for the production for bovine pericardium and this will be finalised when the clinical trial starts. The success of the research will help reduce the cost of cardiac surgery,’’ he said.Animal Husbandry Minister K P Mohanan said the research was a success and the commercial production would start soon.The cost of cardiac surgery will come down considerably as the cardiac patches are now being imported, he said.The department is also planning to involve more farmers in the project so that more animal tissue could be sourced and it will be an additional income to them. There are also plans for a tie-up with Meat Products of India.KLDB Managing Director Ani S Das said that the quality animal tissue was sourced from male animals reared at the KLDB farm in Kulathupupuzha, Kollam district, and slaughtered for meat purpose. At present, animal tissue of biomedical quality is not produced anywhere in India except at KLDB farm.The board is maintaining modern dairy farms complying with the quality requirements and has the unique distinction of having a ‘low risk herd’. The tissue is taken from the herd which is monitored for the last six years.The proposal for high-tech farms at Mattupetti, Dhoni and Kolahalamedu when implemented will meet the demand for animal tissue. Heart valves made using the pig’s valves or heart valves fabricated from bovine pericardium are being used widely in cardiac surgery. However, these tissues cannot be used in young patients, as they severely calcify within three to five years of implantation.De-cellularised animal tissue will be more durable as it will allow growth of tissue into it when implanted in patients. Moreover, due to the absence of cells, the tissue will not induce any immune rejection problems.In India, approximately 10 per cent of infant mortality is contributed by congenital heart disease alone.
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