Wockhardt Hospital performs first awake heart surgery in western India

For the first time in Western India, a coronary bypass surgery was conducted on the beating heart of a 73-year-old patient, without general anaesthesia (GA), without heart lung machine and without ventilator support at Wockhardt Hospitals. The awake beating heart surgery was conducted by the eminent cardio-vascular surgeon Dr Sandeep Honnekeri by using the technique of high epidural analgesia.

"This patient had gone through an earlier revascularisation and a recent angiography revealed a two vessel block, which required a bypass surgery. He was at a high risk for general anaesthesia and his best chance of survival was a beating heart bypass surgery without general anaesthesia which implies an awake heart surgery. We gave him the chance using the technique of high thoracic epidural analgesia and a new direction in heart surgery has been unveiled," recounted Dr Honnekeri.

Anaesthetist Dr Ajit Vispute said, "The technique of high thoracic epidural analgesia is a highly precision based methodology, which involves injection of micro doses of local anaesthetic in the epidural space around the spinal cord, which anaesthetises only the chest region while the rest of the system is fully awake. This enables the surgeon to locate and operate upon a painless sternum region and makes the surgery safe for patients, who are at high risk in general anaesthesia."

Conscious off pump coronary artery surgery is considered as the most evolved exercise in heart surgery and has created tremendous patient benefits since it focuses on eliminating the risk factors for heart surgery, namely the usage of heart lung machine and the usage of general anaesthesia. It reduces post-operative stay in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) to less than 12 hours and thereby also reduces the hospitalisation of the patient.

"Wockhardt Hospitals has always remained in the forefront in bringing new advances, doctor's expertise and technology for the treatment of surgical ailments. This new technology in the cardiac surgery will give a new direction for the patients who had complications for general anaesthesia" said Suhas Aradhye, head, marketing, Wockhardt Hospitals.

Recently, Wockhardt Hospitals had relayed simultaneously a unique multi-centric, multi-specialty live workshop on the advances in procedures of cardiology, cardiac surgery, orthopaedics and spine at Mumbai, Nasik, Nagpur and Kolhapur to over 1500 medical professionals.

"Over the last 16 years, Wockhardt Hospitals have played a leading role in expanding the horizons of heart surgery in India, with a focus to make these advancements make heart surgery not only more patient friendly but also more affordable. Our experience of more than 300 awake heart surgeries reflects the pace that we are setting in reaching these advancements to our patients" said Vishal Bali, vice president, Wockhardt Hospitals.