Gandhinagar: Apollo Hospital here informed about introduction of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (MICS), a new and safer substitute of conventional open-heart surgeries.

Dr Sudhir Adalti, a senior consultant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad informed that patients requiring coronary artery bypass (single or multiple grafts), valve replacement or repairs (single or double valve), closure of holes in the heart and removal of tumours can opt for MICS rather than conventional open-heart surgery.

He informed further that MICS can be performed without cutting any bone through a small incision of 2-3 inches compared to almost 10 inches in open-heart surgery which reduces the chances of wound and post-surgical lung infections, causes minimal scarring and brings down hospital stay to just three-four days. Around 50-60% of patients undergoing MICS do not require any blood transfusion, which further reduces the risk of infections. It is highly beneficial for diabetics and elderly patients undergoing heart surgery, he added.

Release in full text: With cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) being one of the top reasons for deaths across the globe, including India, open-heart surgery is often the way out for patients who cannot be treated with medications alone. However, the very thought of undergoing an open-heart surgery can leave the bravest of the patient apprehensive and panic-stricken due to multiple factors such as extended hospital stay, pain, slower recovery, scarring and higher chances of infections.

With the advancement of technology, doctors, however, have found an easier way to access a patient’s heart—literally— through Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (MICS) and significantly mitigate most of the disadvantages of open-heart surgeries. A relatively new surgical procedure, MICS, also known as keyhole cardiac surgery, is gradually picking up pace with only a handful centres across India, including Apollo Hospitals, offering a full profile of MICS.

According to Dr Sudhir Adalti, a senior consultant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad, “Patients requiring coronary artery bypass (single or multiple grafts), valve replacement or repairs (single or double valve), closure of holes in the heart and removal of tumours can opt for MICS rather than conventional open-heart surgery.”

He added that MICS comes with a host of advantages compared to open-heart surgeries. “The biggest advantage is that MICS can be performed without cutting any bone through a small incision of 2-3 inches compared to almost 10 inches in open-heart surgery. This reduces the chances of wound and post-surgical lung infections, causes minimal scarring and brings down hospital stay to just three-four days,” Dr Adalti said.

Similarly, around 50-60% of patients undergoing MICS do not require any blood transfusion, which further reduces the risk of infections. MICS is highly beneficial for diabetics and elderly patients undergoing heart surgery as they are at a greater risk of acquiring infections. However, all patients who require coronary artery bypass cannot undergo MICS and it is decided on a case-to-case basis depending on several parameters.

Explaining the risk factors, Dr Sameer Dani, Director, Cardiology Services at Apollo CVHF, said, “Diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, stress, smoking and obesity are some of the key factors driving the increasing burden of CVDs. Gujaratis are also at a higher risk of CVDs because of their food habits, especially their love for fried and street foods. To keep CVDs at bay, people should maintain a healthy lifestyle, avoid fast foods, quit smoking, exercise for half an hour every day, keep diabetes and cholesterol under control, and follow doctors’ advice.” He also said that people over 40 years should go for an annual health check-up without fail.