Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery K. Prabhakar Reddy, chief of Cardiology P. Chandrasekhar and staff of Kurnool general hospital performed beating heart surgery on a 42-year-old patient Tirupal Naik of Vajrakarur in Guntakal mandal in Anantapur district, in the hospital here.
The complicated surgery, also known as off pump surgery, was performed while the patient’s heart was beating and pumping blood to all the vital organs, by Angioplasty and Stenting for Renal Artery Lesions to clear a block in the left internal mammary artery, Dr. Prabhakar Reddy and Dr. Chandrasekhar explained to the media through a video presentation in the Cathlab in the Cardiology Department.
The left anterior descending coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart was performed using the Octopus method, without using the heart-lung machine to stop the functioning of the heart, they explained. Tirupal Naik, who was admitted to the hospital with chest pain about a month and half ago, was slated to undergo the surgery about 20 days ago, but had left the hospital out of fear and returned two days ago, they said.
The technically demanding cardiac procedure was performed over four hours and would facilitate speedier revocery, lesser pain and bleeding, they said.
It would enhance the patient’s life span by about two decades, but he must adopt lifestyle changes and go for periodical follow-up, they said.
The Cardiothoracic Surgery department, inaugurated on September 25 this year, had performed 12 open heart surgeries, two lung surgeries, valve replacements, closed holes in the heart and removed chest tumours in patients so far, they added.
Dr. Prabhakar Reddy and Dr. Chandrasekhar said they were gearing up to perform cardiac transplantation surgeries in the next six months. The beating heart surgery which would cost Rs. 3.50 lakh in a corporate hospital, was performed free of charge under the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme, assistant professor of cardiology Mohammed Ali said.
