HYDERABAD: In a surgical success, doctors from AIG Hospitals in Hyderabad fixed a pump in the heart of a septuagenarian who was recovering from a liver transplant.
The patient aged 70 got admitted at AIG Hospital on June 14 with complaints of breathlessness, chest pain and severe weakness.
After primary checks, the patient was diagnosed with heart failure and severely decreased heart pumping. Further investigations using an angiogram revealed that all the three main arteries of the heart were severely blocked, including the left main coronary artery.
The patient’s comorbidities list included post-liver transplant, diabetes, hypertension, anaemia and acute kidney injury.
“We were running out of options. Even though the cardiac MRI showed that all the heart muscles were viable, upon evaluation by the cardiac surgery team, it was found out that the risk of mortality in case of coronary bypass surgery is extremely high. But, then we thought of exploring a new non-surgical heart pump called IMPELLA,” said Dr Anuj Kapadia, Sr Consultant, Interventional Cardiology, AIG Hospitals. The US-FDA approved device, which is known as the ‘world’s smallest heart pump’ was inserted into the heart through the groin artery under local anaesthesia.
It helped in stabilising heart function and ensuring blood flow to critical organs during the bypass procedure. It replicates the pumping function of the heart, providing blood flow of 3.5 litres/min. The overall procedure lasted for three hours.
The device was safely removed at the end of the procedure itself. The patient was shifted to the ICU and was subsequently discharged after two days of hospitalisation.
INSERTED THROUGH GROIN ARTERY
The US-FDA approved device, IMPELLA, known as the ‘world’s smallest heart pump’ was inserted into the heart through the groin artery under local anaesthesia.
“We are glad that the patient is doing well and hopefully in coming years, such treatment options will become more accessible for more patients,” said Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals.