Rare surgery performed at Kauvery Hospital

Chennai, Feb 24: Kauvery Hospital Chennai has successfully performed a heart transplant for a 63-year-old with cardiogenic shock and a complex medical history. A press release said that in a first-of-its-kind approach in India, the man was given Impella percutaneous left ventricular assist device (pVAD) , to support his heart until he received a heart transplant. “The 63-year-old man had a sudden onset of breathlessness and was admitted to a local hospital two weeks after an episode of severe chest pain, where he was managed for low blood pressure. During the same time, he had episodes of Ventricular Tachycardia, and he was revived through electrical shocks. He was then given multiple medications to improve the pumping function of the heart, despite which he was rapidly deteriorating and was on the verge of losing his life. He was shifted to Kauvery Hospital as an emergency for further treatment,” the release added. “We immediately moved him to the hybrid cath lab with consent of the family for an emergency angiogram and further treatment. His left anterior descending artery was totally blocked, leading to total irreversible damage, thinning of his left ventricle and extremely poor heart function. At this stage, his expected survival rate was less than 10%. As we have a ‘Heart Recovery’ program, we were able to implant an Impella device immediately to save him and prevent damage to other organs of the body including brain, liver and kidneys. Without the ‘Heart Recovery’ program, it may take upto 24 to 48 hours for the company to arrange Impella. The Impella pVAD support system removes blood from left ventricle and pumps to rest of the body, thereby allowing the left ventricle to rest and recover, while other organ functions are preserved. This temporary mechanical cardiovascular support system can sustain a patient’s heart for up to seven days or longer. He was intubated in the critical care unit for pulmonary edema and low BP, and the Impella worked wel