Rare heart surgery at Jehangir Hospital

Written by Express News Service
Pune | August 6, 2011 03:03 IST

Ganesh Kute,32,underwent a minimally invasive double valve replacement heart surgery at Jehangir Hospital,using a new technique that resulted in a much smaller incision and enabled him to be discharged in just four days after a major and complicated heart procedure, doctors said.

Ganesh Kute,32,underwent a minimally invasive double valve replacement heart surgery at Jehangir Hospital,using a new technique that resulted in a much smaller incision and enabled him to be discharged in just four days after a major and complicated heart procedure,doctors said.

Cardiac surgeon Dr Chandrashekhar Kulkarni said the patient had been advised to undergo a double valve (aortic and mitral valve) replacement as both his valves were severely damaged. He was a high risk patient as he had a recent episode of heart failure prior to surgery,Kulkarni told reporters.

A rheumatic heart disease patient for the past ten years,Kute underwent an operation in 2005 for valve repair. Both valves were irreversibly damaged and had to be changed simultaneously. To keep discomfort and surgical stress to a minimum,doctors decided to use a minimally invasive approach. Such procedures conventionally require an 8-10 day hospitalisation and the patient has to undergo an open heart surgery wherein the entire Breast Bone is split from top to bottom of the chest. Kulkarni claims the surgery was the first of its kind in the city — both valves have been replaced through a significantly smaller incision,avoiding cutting of the full (complete) Breast Bone and without any groin incision. The length of the incision was only 9 cm as compared to the conventional 18-20 cm incision in double valve replacement surgery,he said.

A special technique,partial sternotomy,was used. This divides just half of the chest bone and normally requires an incision in the groin for harvesting the groin arteries. “In Kute’s case,we used a newer technique that avoided this incision as well. This shortens the time of surgery.”

The most difficult part of the surgery is to reach the heart valves which are usually deep. This is addressed by using special instruments. Cardiologist Dr Ajit Mehta who was part of the team that managed the patient said the technique can be used for conditions such as valve repairs,valve replacement,bypass and for closing holes in the heart – for a wide range of patients. Kute said “I was initially admitted to another hospital due to breathlessness after walking for just two-three minutes. I was advised open heart surgery for double valve replacement.

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/rare-heart-surgery-at-jehangir-hospital

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