Hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) as an alternative to traditional coronary artery bypass surgery was conducted at the Apollo Hospitals here. The minimally invasive surgery is combined with an angioplasty to achieve better outcomes, the doctors here said.
Two surgeries - one on a 40-year-old man from Pudukottai and another on a 75-year-old man from Musiri - were performed and the patients were discharged in four days after recovery.
Kader Sahib, interventional cardiologist at the hospital along with his team of doctors including cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, Srikanth Bhumana, cardiac anaesthetists Rohini Mayur Balaji and S. Saravanan conducted the surgeries.
Describing the procedure, Dr. Sahib said that a HCR is performed through a small incision in the left side of the chest, wherein the left internal mammary artery is used to clear the block. The doctors also conduct a coronary angioplasty a day or two later to treat the remaining blocks in the heart.
Dr. Bhumana said that traditionally coronary artery bypass grafting requires cutting through the rib cage and operating on the heart. This leads to a longer recovery period, of up to six to eight weeks, and the patient would suffer from some pain while breathing, coughing etc, he said. The patient is also not advised to undertake heavy work post-operation, which would affect the livelihood of young people suffering from cardiac ailments.
Doctors, however, must decide on conducting the HCR on a case-by-case basis. ‘This can only be performed on patients who are young or those without other risks. People with several blockages in the arteries and those who are high-risk will have to undergo the traditional method,’ Dr. Sahib said.
