|
Date : December 2002
Dr. GB Parulkar, Wockhardt Hospital Director and Dr. Shantesh Kaushik, provide details on the new surgery |
The patient Padddassey Narayan thanks Dr. Vijan following the successful surgery |
In less than three months since its opening, Wockhardt Heart Hospital (WHH), Mulund, has become the first hospital outside the United States to perform bypass surgery using 'endoscopic radial artery harvesting'. This is a revolutionary technology for removing an artery from the forearm through a 'wrist-watch' incision.
The traditional method of harvesting a radial artery involves making a 18-24 centimetre cut in the forearm, from the elbow to the wrist, that leaves a life-long scar. The new patient-friendly method uses an endoscope and ultrasonic scalpel and requires just one keyhole incision near the wrist. It results in minimal loss of blood and is less painful. The patient can use his hand almost immediately compared to seven days of discomfort when the artery is removed by the conventional way. The long incision also increases the danger of clot formation, infection and thickening of the scar.
The landmark operation was performed on October 18 by Dr. Kaushal Pandey and Dr. Shantesh Kaushik, Cardiothoracic Surgeons at Wockhardt Heart Hospital. Assisting them was a team from the US, which included Dr. Mark Genovesi, heart-surgeon and innovator of the new technology, and Dr. Michael Stauder, physician ¬- associate.
New drug coated stent hailed as a medical breakthrough worldwide. is used at WHH
Recently, WHH conducted an angioplasty using a new drug-coated stent, considered a revolution in the field of coronary intervention.
The new stent prevents reblockage of the artery and the patient won't need to undergo further angioplasty or bypass surgery, commonly associated with conventional stents. The stent, an improved version of the conventional stent, is coated with a drug generically known as rapamycin or sirolimus. The drug is then released over four to six weeks steadily in a controlled manner locally.
Dr. Suresh Vijan, Interventional Cardiologist at our Mulund Hospital, conducted the operation in August on a 65-year old man, who had problems of exertion and angina, besides having chest pain for the past one year. The patient, Padassey Narayan, also had earlier undergone surgeries for other ailments. A coronary angiogram revealed an isolated and severe block in the left main artery. Normally, a blockage in the left main artery would mean that the patient would have to undergo bypass surgery as such a condition is considered extremely life-threatening. According to Dr. Vijan, "The new stent provides long-term results unlike regular stents where problems have erupted within two months or the patients have died."
Stents have been used for the past 10 years but have caused recurrence of disease in patients. Reaction to the stent has been seen in 15% to 20% of cases. Well ¬controlled experiments conducted abroad have shown that the drug blocks this reaction to the stent. The drug¬coated stent is being manufactured by Johnson & Johnson under the brand name Cypher and is already being used in Europe. US FDA license is expected in 2003.
The operation is one of the few of its kind in the country.
|
|