Invade with care

 
Published: Sunday 31 December 1995

A NEW technique known as minimally invasive direct coronary bypass surgery has been successfully tested last month at Lenox Hill hospital in Manhattan, us. Valavanur A Subramanian performed the delicate surgery on the heart as it continued to beat, instead of putting the patient on a heart-lung machine. This was done by making small incisions in the chest wall.

The surgery promises to cut down costs. Besides, it will allow the patients to make a speedier and less painful recovery as compared to a standard bypass. Also, the patients suffering from angina, which is chest pain resulting from blocked coronary arteries, will have more therapeutic options to choose from.

in a standard bypass surgery, surgeons make a foot-long incision in the chest, split the breast bone and stop the heart. In the new version of the operation, surgeons operate through an incision of three or fewer inches long. Surgeons performing these operations are planning to develop feedback forms to collect the results of their experiences and compare them with standard bypass surgery.

Minimally invasive operations could now become an effective alternative to angioplasty or standard bypass surgery.

Subscribe to Daily Newsletter :

Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.