Frontier Lifeline and Dr. K.M. Cherian Heart Foundation is organising a two-day workshop and live demonstration on minimally invasive sternum sparing direct coronary bypass surgery (MIDCAB) using arterial grafts, over the weekend.
In this technique, the heart is approached through the side of the left chest via a small 4 cm incision, without cutting any bones and by splitting the muscle. There are two arteries that run on either side of the breast bone known as mammary arteries. Both of them are harvested through the same incision. Then, bypass surgery is done on the beating heart. Highly advanced instrumentation and advanced techniques allow for the operation to be performed very safely, a press release added.
MIDCAB has several advantages over the traditional technique as no bones are cut during the procedure, and so it reduces pain, retains function and has a positive effect on breathing, doctors claimed. Unlike traditional heart surgery, the return to normal life including driving and other activities can be started almost immediately. Patients are usually discharged on the third day after surgery. It also has the benefits of reducing blood loss, causes less tissue damage and has a lower risk of wound infection and is beneficial for young patients.
The course directors are Maximo C. Guida, former president of Fundacardio, of The Latin American Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Dr. Ashok Kumar Sharma, Wellington, New Zealand, the release said.
