Thiruvananthapuram: The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology has launched the first ever project in the State to harvest human valves from cadavers, which can be implanted in the place of artificial valves for treating cardio-vascular diseases.

The Homograft Valve Bank, where the harvested human valves can be processed and stored in special conditions for later use, was inaugurated by Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy here on Friday.

A collaborative project of the SCTIMST and Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, this is only the fourth venture in the country for harvesting human heart valves from cadavers. A Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of an organ bank for cryo-preserved homografts was also signed between the SCTIMST and the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

Under the agreement, the valves will be sourced from MCH, while SCTIMST will be responsible for processing and preserving of valves which will be required for cardiac surgery at a later date.

With the launch of the project, the SCTIMST is ushering in a paradigm shift in the treatment of cardio-vascular diseases in the State, the Director of the Institute K. Mohandas said.

The prevalence of valvular diseases is quite high in the State and at least 2,500 patients approach SCTIMST every year for treating valvular diseases which are either congenital or a result of rheumatic fever. For a majority of the patients, replacement of the diseased valve by an artificial valve is the modality of treatment. However, a good number of patients cannot be implanted with artificial valves because of medical and other reasons. Such patients can be benefited by homograft valves. The two valves -- aortic and pulmonary valves -- harvested from one cadaver can help give a fresh lease of life to two patients with cardio-vascular diseases.

Homografts offer improved quality of life to patients; it can bring down treatment costs and the anti-coagulent therapy required for those implanted with artificial valves can be done away with.

The human valves will be sourced from the cadavers that reach the MCH for medico-legal investigations. The valves will be harvested only on the free will and consent of the near relatives of the deceased and there will be no coercion.

The valves should be removed within 24 hours of the person's death and only in those cases where the cause of death has been medically established will be considered, forensic experts said.

Valves and blood samples will be collected from a cadaver by cardiac surgeons and taken in sterilized containers to the Homograft valve bank under the Microbiology Department at SCTIMST. These will be subjected to extensive processing, blood tests and tests to check for microbial contamination. The tissue samples will be followed up for 30 days before a valve is certified fit for implantation. The certified valves can be cryo-preserved at -150 degrees centigrade and stored up to five years.

The harvested valves will be given free of cost to any patient in Government Medical Colleges who require valve replacement, SCTIMST authorities said.

Inaugurating the Homograft Valve Bank, the Health Minister said that awareness should be created among the public so that people will come forward to pledge their heart valves after death, just as many donate their eyes.

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