CHENNAI: The doctors of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) have successfully performed ‘David’s procedure’, an advanced heart surgery named after a Brazilian cardiac surgeon Tyrone E David, who first did it.
The procedure involves valve-sparing aortic root replacement method, a surgical treatment for aortic root aneurysms (a ballooning and weakened area in the artery).
According to a statement from the hospital, 42-year-old Saraswathi, hailing from Erode, was diagnosed with ascending aortic aneurysm with severe aortic regurgitation (a condition where leakage of pumped out blood back into the heart occurs).
The patient, who had suffered from Covid pneumonia in October, was referred to the RGGGH’s cardiovascular and thoracic surgery department in November when she was in her post-recovery period.
“The patient was advised for surgery three weeks later,” the statement said.
Doctors said that the dilated, thinned, and calcified nature of the aorta, left renal artery, and unrolled hypertension made the management quite challenging.
Subsequently, the patient was taken in for surgery on January 22 and the David’s procedure was successfully performed.
“The surgery procedure demanded extension and meticulous dissection, designing, and careful suturing of the graft to very thinned out and friable aorta. This type of surgery was done for the first time at the RGGGH,” the statement added.
The doctors, headed by Dr A Sivaraman, who were part of the surgery, were Dr Elavarasan, Dr Ezhilan, Dr Pradeep Anand, Dr Vivekanand, Dr Niranjani, Dr Suganthalakshmi and Dean of the hospital Dr E Theranirajan.
The whole treatment was done free of cost for the patient. The expenses, which may cost up to Rs 10 lakh in private hospitals, was covered by the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme and doctors said, it may cost up to Rs. 10 lakhs in private hospitals.
Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan visited the hospital on Saturday, and met the patient. He also congratulated the doctors.