Sanjay, 54, V. Ramesh, 44, and M. Narmada, 70, all of whom have recovered from a heart attack, are now leading normal lives. All of them had blocks in multiple arteries requiring bypass surgeries. But they were offered an advanced technique, which reduced their hospital stay to just three to four days. In fact, Mr. Sanjay has returned to work already.
All three patients had been admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for just a day, and to the regular ward for another day. On the third day, they were discharged and put on a cardio-rehabilitation programme.
This was made possible thanks to the hybrid cath lab facility that Kauvery Hospital has invested in, said R. Anantharaman, senior consultant interventional cardiologist.
Mr. Ramesh had a history of heart attack and blocks in the right and left coronary arteries. His heart function was only 30%. Conventionally such patients would have to undergo a coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, which requires surgeons to open the chest cavity. The patient would have to undergo two procedures. Not only would this mean longer hospital stay but also the risk of infection during the ongoing pandemic.
The surgeon decided to perform a hybrid revascularisation procedure wherein a 3-4 cm incision was made on the left side of the chest and the main bypass grafting for the left coronary artery was done. After checking its functioning through angiography, the surgeon then inserted a stent through angioplasty in the right coronary artery.
“Undertaking a complex procedure and enabling the patient to walk back home within a span of two to three days is a huge step in treatment and provides a lot of hope for patients with such conditions. We were able to perform this with the aid of the Hybrid Cath Lab that can facilitate the procedure to be performed in a single stage -- both surgery and stenting at the same time,” he said.
The procedure could be offered to patients who would not be able to withstand an open bypass surgery, he added.
The hospital’s executive director Aravindan Selvaraj urged people not to postpone treatment for fear of infection. There were enough advancements in medicine that could provide not only relief, but also help them lead normal lives, he said.
Mr. Ramesh said his health insurance firm covered the procedure.
