Hyderabad doctor’s medical device gets Indian patent

Dubbed as KONAR-MF, the medical device was designed and developed by city cardiologist and Director, Rainbow Children’s Heart Institute, Dr. Nageswara Rao Koneti

Hyderabad: A medical device designed and developed by city cardiologist and Director, Rainbow Children’s Heart Institute, Dr. Nageswara Rao Koneti, and his team, to treat Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), which is a hole between two lower chambers (ventricles) of heart, has received Indian patent.

Dubbed as KONAR-MF (KOneti NAgeswara Rao- Multi Functional) occlude, the medical device had earlier received European EC approval in 2019 while Euro-African, Korean patents were granted in 2021 and 2022. The Indian patent was granted after several critical examinations in February 2023, a press release said.

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Traditionally, surgeons employed open heart surgery to treat ventricular septal defects of the heart. However, due to inherent complications of conducting an open heart surgery, the treatment for VSD shifted to transcatheter device closure.

Dr. Rao and his team have been working since 2009 to develop the technique and the appropriate occluder for the transcatheter device closure of VSDs. The early results were presented in American college of cardiology meeting at Chicago, USA in 2012.

At present, the device is available commercially through Lifetech Scientific Company, Schengen and has benefitted more than 10,000 patients in last three-years in more than 72 countries including Germany, Italy, UK, USA and Japan, the press release added.