Young Indians choosing non-surgical heart valve procedure they may not need: says study

Patiala, July 11, 2026: A six-year clinical analysis by Dr. Rajneesh Kapoor, one of country leading interventional specialists in TAVR has found a sharp and accelerating rise in the number of patients under 60—and particularly under 50—seeking Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart surgery for a narrowed aortic valve, even though international treatment guidelines generally reserve the procedure for older and higher-surgical-risk patients.
The study by Dr. Kapoor, who hails from Patiala, examined 305 patients who presented with severe aortic valve stenosis and were evaluated for aortic valve replacement between 2020 and March 2026.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Dr. Kapoor said the data points to a pattern he has also observed directly in his clinic: young, low-risk patients actively requesting TAVR, often influenced by what they have read or watched online, even when surgery remains the medically indicated option for their age group.
Dr. Kapoor who is chairman of interventional cardiology at Medanta, is among India's highest-volume TAVR operators, performing 75–80 such procedures annually — a track record that has placed him at the centre of the country's rapidly evolving TAVR practice, and gives his observations on shifting patient demand particular weight.
Sharing findings of study, Dr Kapoor said, “Between 2020 and 2024, patients aged 60 and above made up 93% of everyone evaluated for aortic valve replacement at his practice, with the 50–60 age group accounting for 5%, and patients under 50 forming just 1% — consistent with the well-established medical understanding that severe aortic stenosis is overwhelmingly a disease of ageing.”
That pattern has shifted markedly in the most recent period of the study. From 2024 to March 2026, the proportion of patients under 60 nearly doubled to 8–10% of the total cohort. Within that shift, the rise was sharpest among the youngest patients: those under 50 years of age increased nearly seven-fold compared to the previous four-year period.
To understand what was driving younger patients toward TAVR, every patient in the study was asked, through a structured multiple-choice questionnaire, where they had first learned about the procedure. The options offered were: their doctor, family or friends, or media — further broken down into newspaper, internet, radio or television.
Among patients under 50, the answer was overwhelming: 98% said the internet — social media, video platforms, health websites and online forums — was where they first heard about TAVR as an option, rather than a referring physician.
We have observed in clinic, and this study substantiates it, that incomplete and incorrect information circulating on social media is now directly influencing healthcare decision-making by patients — sometimes against their own medical interest, said Dr Kapoor.
Talking about why age matters in aortic valve replacement, Dr Kapoor said that aortic stenosis — a narrowing of the heart's aortic valve that restricts blood flow — is predominantly a disease of ageing.
Population studies place its prevalence at roughly 2–3% in people over 65, rising to around 7% beyond age 80, and it is projected to nearly double worldwide by 2050 as populations age. In patients under 60, severe aortic stenosis requiring valve replacement is comparatively uncommon and, when it does occur, is more often linked to a congenital bicuspid valve than to the age-related valve calcification typically seen in older patients.
Public awareness of new treatment options is, in itself, a good thing, but awareness without complete information becomes a trap, he opined.
Our appeal to the public is simple: use the internet to ask better questions of your doctor — not to self-prescribe a procedure. The right treatment is the one that is indicated for your age, your anatomy and your risk profile, decided in consultation with a specialist, not the one that trends online, he advised.