Seventy-year-old Assiri Maghran Mohammed, a Sheikh from Saudi Arabia, was admitted at the city’s Moolchand Hospital this month with blockages in the coronary arteries.
These did not allow him to walk for more than 10 to 15 m. Besides the blocked arteries, Mr. Mohammed has diabetes, hypertension, had suffered two brain strokes, three heart attacks and his heart functioned15 per cent.
Despite the obvious medical complications, convinced by the patient’s desire to lead a better quality life, doctors at the hospital decided to operate upon him.
Explaining what followed, Dr. Pradeep Nambiar, the senior consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the hospital, said: “The patient was counselled about the risks and was operated on April 12. A pre op-intra aortic balloon pump was used for support and heart by-pass was done on a beating heart using the ‘Nambiar’ technique. The patient is presently doing very well. He was discharged on April 16.”
Giving details of the Nambiar technique used by the doctors to help Mr. Mohammed, Dr. Nambiar elaborated: “This procedure combines key hole heart surgery and uses mammary arteries from the chest for optimum patient benefit.’’
The technique, claimed the doctor, has been successfully used on individuals as young as 39, patients suffering from obesity and persons who have crossed 90.
“For this patient, we made a single two-inch cut under the left breast and internal mammary arteries from inside the chest were used for multi-vessel, triple-vessel heart bypass. This technique does not involve leg veins, which get blocked in 10-12 years while mammary arteries last for more than 25–30 years. Also patients get discharged from the hospital within three days and are fully fit to lead an active life within ten days. Moreover, such surgeries have lower risk of infection bleeding, scars and need for blood transfusion,” added Dr. Nambiar.
The patient’s family said Mr. Mohammed’s quality of life suffering and fearing high chances of mortality, doctors back home did not want to operate on him.
“The blockages in the coronary arteries were causing him distress and his condition was so bad that he could not even walk properly. After the surgery he is definitely feeling better,’’ said his son.