CHENNAI: With the support of advanced technology, high precision drugs and intensive patient monitoring, a city hospital is successfully performing ‘Fast Track Cardiac Surgeries’ and discharging patients in a span of five days.
Doctors at Billroth Hospitals, who have been performing this fast track surgery, which allows patient to be on their feet within four days after a cardiac surgery, claim 99 per cent success. In the last two and a half years, the hospital has done around 500 such surgeries, “said Dr K Nedumaran, cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist, Billroth Hospital.
In this system, the patient will be shifted to the ICU immediately after the surgery and a doctor who had performed the surgery will be there to take care of the patient at the ICU also. “Hence, there is continuity. There is no requirement of a new team at the ICU to pick up the details of the surgery and proceed as the doctor can guide them,” he added.
The next day, the patient will be moved to the ward, where he can take juice and other food prescribed by the doctor. On the third day, he will be asked to walk around and climb the stairs. The next day, an observation will be done to find out how the patient responds and on the fifth day he will be asked to take a bath and the doctors will check the wound.
Patients who have undergone this surgery are also happy. “Initially I was scared. But it got over in five days,” said a much relaxed Marzook. Another patient Sundararajan said that the cost of surgery was very less. Dr Nedumaran said that the surgery, as a package of seven days, costs Rs 1.15 lakh.