Chennai: Expert surgeons at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here on Friday performed a marathon 15-hour surgery on a 30-year-old woman suffering from a life-threatening aorta and aortic valve problem The doctors replaced the damaged heart valve and aorta with an artificial heart valve and aorta, giving the patient a fresh lease of life. Incredibly, the patient’s heart was stopped for a total of 323 minutes with the help of a heart-lung machine and the surgery was carried out by a team of seven doctors, headed by professor of cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. K. S. Ganesan and assistant professor, Dr. Manikandan.
“The patient has now completely recovered and is fit to be discharged,” Dr. Ganesan declared. He added that the surgery was performed using an expensive Dacron graft that costs Rs 3 lakh. The woman, a tailor, was admitted following complaints of vomiting and chest pain. Three weeks ago, she was moved to the coronary care unit and after a detailed x-ray evaluation, an echocardiogram and a coronary angiogram, it was found she had an acute aortic valve leak along with a rupture of the ascending aorta. She was immediately referred to the cardiothoracic department where the doctors, after examining her condition, decided to go ahead with the surgery.
“It was a risky procedure. But since the patient came to us well in time, we were able to save her,” said Dr Ganesan. Also, the surgery, which could have cost about Rs8 to 10 lakh in private hospitals, was performed for free under the cover of the Chief Minister’s comprehensive health insurance scheme. It was performed under the guidance the head of department of cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Rajavenkatesh.
