Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 22 INDIA August 7, 2026 Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital Perform World’s First Robotic Systemic AV Valve Replacement U nder the stewardship of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) & Safdarjung Hospital Director Dr Kavita Sharma, a historic mile- stone in global cardiac surgery was achieved. The Department of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery (CTVS) successfully per- formed the world’s first Robotic Systemic Atrioventricular (AV) Valve Replacement in an adult patient with Congenitally Cor- rected Transposition of the Great Arteries (ccTGA) with Dextrocardia. This pioneering achievement places VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital at the fore- front of advanced robotic cardiac surgery and reaffirms the institution’s commit- ment to clinical excellence, innovation and cutting-edge patient care in India’s public healthcare system. The pioneering, minimally invasive procedure was successfully executed by an expert surgical team led by Professor (Dr.) Anubhav Gupta, Director Professor and Head of the Department of CTVS. The patient suffered from a rare com- bination of structural anomalies, includ- ing ccTGA, which is a birth defect where the heart’s lower chambers are reversed, forcing the weaker right ventricle and its associated AV valve to pump blood to the entire body under high systemic pressure, and Dextrocardia, which is a condition where the heart is entirely flipped and points toward the right side of the chest instead of the left. Over time, this systemic AV valve leaked severely, putting the patient at risk of a failing heart. The heart function had already deteriorated, making the surgery even more challenging. A detailed 3D reconstruction of the CT scan was under- taken to meticulously plan the procedure. To conquer this structural puzzle, Professor Anubhav Gupta and his team engineered a completely new proce- dural path. Standard robotic mitral valve replacements are performed through the right side of the chest. However, because this patient’s heart had Dextrocardia, the team successfully used a specialized left- sided approach, precisely mirroring the standard right-sided robotic technique. Operating through tiny ports without splitting the patient’s breastbone, the surgical team used high-definition 3D visualization and robotic arms to achieve unmatched precision inside the flipped chest cavity. This masterful adaptation offers im- mense clinical benefits, including no bone-splitting, leaving the chest wall fully intact, minimal blood loss and drastically lower infection risks, significantly less post-operative pain, and a highly acceler- ated recovery timeline. This landmark operation marks the first time in medical literature that a ro- botic system has been adapted through a left-sided approach to replace a Systemic AVValve in a ccTGA patient with Dextro- cardia. This is considered a historic break- through as well as displays the world-class expertise available within India’s public healthcare sector and the nation’s po- tential for global innovation in robotic cardiac surgery. - ANI Team that performed world’s first robotic systemic atrioventricular valve replacement surgery. PHOTO:ANI Modi Says Punishing Student Protesters Will Not Resolve Situation I ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to forgive students who hurled expletives at him during protests last month, saying that pun- ishing them and forcing them to appear repeatedly in court would not help resolve the situation. The biggest political crisis of Modi’s third term peaked in July after the leak of national exam papers forced a retest for 2 million students, fueling anger over the lack of opportunities for young Indians. Authorities filed cases against hundreds of demonstrators after some clashed with security forces and shouted abusive slo- gans at the prime minister. “These are misled children. Showing them the right path is our duty. Punishing them, making them run around courts, or tormenting them in society will not change the situation,” Modi said in a video posted on social media late on Friday. “I want to forgive them. I hope society also accepts this stance of mine.” Tensions erupted between protest- ers and security forces in several parts of the country during the demonstrations, including in New Delhi, where people attempting to march on parliament were met with tear gas and baton charges. The self-named Cockroach Janta Party, which led the movement, said on Monday that “hundreds” of students had been ar- rested in various states, in violation of the government’s commitment to dropping police cases filed against protesters. Indian youth protesters ended weeks of demonstrations after the education min- ister quit and the government accepted all demands, which included reforms in the exam system and dropping police cases. The protests have also prompted the Modi government to introduce a bill in parliament to amend the legislation governing public examinations, proposing longer prison terms and higher fines for those involved in exam paper leaks. - Reuters Supporters of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) celebrate after India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following days of protests demanding his resignation over National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination paper leaks, in New Delhi, India, July 25, 2026. PHOTO:REUTERS/ADNAN ABIDI PHOTO:REUTERS/ANUSHREE FADNAVIS