In a state where every 30 minutes there is a cardiac emergency, Paras Hospital, Darbhanga has been able to stand up to its mission of providing the best and the latest cardiac care on 24X7 basis to more than 20 crore people of Mithilanchal. The hospital recently saved the life of a 29 year old patient by performing a path breaking cardiac surgery – Bentall Procedure – that is usually done is specialised cardiac care centres.
Paras Hospital Darbhanga with this procedure has been able to highlight itself as a hospital providing exceptional comprehensive cardiac care services – non invasive cardiology, diagnostic cardiology, cath lab procedures and intervention and cardiac surgery. The hospital and its team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons specialise in performing angioplasty, open heart surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, valve replacement surgery, pacemaker implantation, to list a few.
Mr Shambhu Singh, the 29 year old patient who was treated with the path breaking surgery came to the hospital cardiac emergency complaining of breathlessness, exertion and palpitation. Shambhu was admitted in the hospital and the necessary investigations were carried out to diagnose the reason for the discomfort. The tests revealed that the patient was suffering from Aortic Regurgitation and had a Dilated Aortic Root. This highlights that Shambhu had a leak in the aortic valve of the heart, causing the blood to flow in the reverse direction during ventricular diastole, from the aorta into the left ventricle. Any heart valve problem puts a patient at risk of an infection of the heart’s inner lining (endocarditis). If the aortic valve is leaky, it’s more prone to infection than is a healthy valve. The causes of the same are rheumatic heart disease, etc.
According to Dr. Amarnath Shaw, Consultant Cardiac Surgery, Paras Hospital Darbhanga, “Shambhu was also had a Dilated Aortic Root. The aortic root is the section of the aorta closest to and attached to the heart and it consists of the aortic valve and the openings for the coronary arteries (the coronary ostia). An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. They usually cause no symptoms except when ruptured. Occasionally, there may be abdominal, back, or leg pain. If this situation is not addressed, the patient can suffer from heart failure and other complications.”
Hence to ensure that the best treatment is delivered the team of doctors recommended Bentall Surgery to Shambhu. Dr. Shaw highlights, “A Bentall procedure is a cardiac surgery operation involving composite graft replacement of the aortic valve, aortic root and ascending aorta, with re-implantation of the coronary arteries into the graft. The Bentall surgery is performed under general anaesthesia. During the surgery, an incision is made along the middle of the chest to expose the heart. The heart’s activity is temporarily stopped so your surgeon can perform the operation, and blood flow is redirected to a bypass machine. The diseased part of your aorta is excised and the valve is inspected. The diseased aortic valves are removed. The coronary arteries, along with a large button of the surrounding wall of the aorta are dissected. An artificial graft that has a mechanical or bioprosthetic valve is sutured to the ends of the aorta. Two holes are created in the graft, into which the coronary artery buttons are sewn. The valve replacement may be tested by your surgeon by streaming some blood into the area and checking for any kind of leakage. Once the repair is complete, the incision is sutured and bandaged. The entire procedure is normally completed in less than 5 hours.”
Through this procedure, al the valves and the heart arteries that were causing issues would wither be changed or repaired.
Shambhu was wheeled into the specialised cardiac OT and the procedure took almost 5 hours. He regained consciousness within a few hours and shared that he felt better. After 15 days of rehabilitation and continuous monitoring , he was discharged. Today Shambhu is a healthy man.
“I never realised that the reason of my loss of appetite, weight loss and breathlessness was a heart problem. I kept on ignoring my signs and symptoms. Had I consulted a cardiologist earlier, my complications could be averted. However I am still thankful and indebted to the medical team at Paras Darbhanga. Dr. Shaw provided me exceptional support and motivated me to be positive. Today when I go back to the hospital for a follow up, I feel confident about my recovery. This hospital is a boon for the cardiac patients in Mithilanchal. An initiative that can and is saving numerous lives on daily basis,” shares Shambhu.