The Hindu : Getting `closest' to a beating heart

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 10, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Getting `closest' to a beating heart

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD Jan. 9. When the bloodied throbbing blob of flesh got exposed with a fine incision there were loud gasps in the hall. "This is the heart, my young friends,'' exclaimed cardiac-surgeon Prateek Bhatnagar.

``If you want to get closer to anyone's heart become a surgeon,'' he chuckled over the surgeon mask examining the heart with deft hands that come with years of experience and skill as more gasps sounded the air.

The image of a beating heart might not be rare but a coronary bypass surgery being performed `live', an innovative technique where a heart continues to beat even while the surgery is performed, was certainly fascinating for the students.

Medwin Hospitals and Heart Institute organised a special telecast of this `beating heart' surgery performed on a 40-year-old man by a team of doctors led by Dr. Bhatnagar, Chief Cardiac Surgeon. This mode of surgery was said to have been initiated by the Russians and became popular from the late `90s.

Unlike an open heart surgery where a heart is stopped and a `heart-lung machine' used through which the blood flow is maintained, in beating heart method a special instrument, `myocardial stabiliser', is used that provides a immobile field facilitating surgery without stopping the heart.

It was interesting to watch doctors cut open the chest and perform bypass through `arterial vascularisation' (using an artery from the chest rather than a vein from the legs as in open heart surgery to graft over a blocked path), examining, suturing and at the same time explaining the surgery to the wide-eyed students watching on the giant screen.

Pointing out the advantages of the beating heart surgery, Dr. Bhatnagar said it was long-lasting, loss of blood was minimal, lasts only an hour and more crucially, the post-operative recovery is faster. A patient would be able to sit and have a cup of tea a few hours after the operation and start walking within a day.

Open heart surgery in contrast has some risks as it uses a machine that could damage different organs. "The pulsating heartbeat can never be replicated on a machine,'' he remarked, while mentioning the advantage of not stopping the heart. The recovery period also was more and healing of the leg takes time.

However, the machine is kept on a standby during beating heart surgery in case of any emergency or in cases where the artery is present below the heart that necessitates cutting it open. Several cardiac centres worldwide and Medwin hospitals in Nampally have been undertaking this method costing about Rs. 1.10 lakhs for sometime now.

Students of St. Ann's and Gitanjali, who were part of the viewers kept the doctors in the operating room busy with their questions on matters of heart. Meeraji Rao and Vijaybhaskar, cardiologists in the conference hall did the moderation while Dr. Bhatnagar was at `work'.

``It was very nice and informative. Watching the operation live was a great experience,'' chorused Ankit, Madan and Venkat, class 9 students of Gitanjali. "Our idea is to stimulate the young minds on new surgical methods and educate them about healthy living practices,'' said Meeraji Rao.

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Getting `closest' to a beating heart

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