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SDM Narayana Heart Centre a pioneer in heart care across North Karnataka has reached newer heights, as it has successfully started conducting awake open heart surgeries. Awake surgery is technically more challenging, the patient is not only awake but can talk throughout the surgery. The patient will not feel any pain but will be aware of his surroundings. This painless method is controlled by a special technique called epidural anesthesia.
Thanks to Dr Shivaprasad Mukannavar a cardio thoracic surgeon, who has joined our SDM Narayana Heart Centre team two months back, and has been leading the team in conducting these surgeries. Our cardiac anesthetists Dr Pramod Hoonur and Dr Ganesh Nayak are the ones that applied the technique of total epidural anesthesia in this case. This method can be used in routine and in some high risk cases where we want to avoid total anesthesia and post surgery mechanical ventilation. With this technique the recovery is very fast and also patient can gain early physical activities.
Routinely, awake off pump coronary bypass surgery (i.e a closed heart surgery) are being performed only in few selected centers in India. The awake on pump open heart surgery where the heart will be cut open and the complex surgical steps are carried out in an arrested heart, is rarely done. Patient will be still conscious and aware of the surroundings despite the heart being technically stopped and put on a heart lung machine.
A male patient aged 19 years who came from a remote village of Yelburgataluk, Koppal district , was harboring the complex heart disease called sub aortic membrane and severe aortic valve leakage, and he was admitted at our heart centre here in Sattur. After careful consideration and thorough study about his overall risk factors, the team of doctors at SDM Narayana Heart Centre decided to opt for awake cardiac surgery. The surgery included opening of the outflow tract and performing aortic valve replacement. Post surgery he recovered completely and was able to walk on the same day of surgery, where as minimum 2 to 4 days are required for such recovery in conventional open heart surgeries. The speed of recovery is remarkable in such awake surgeries. Similarly we have conducted off pump CABG in a high risk aged patient who was discharged successfully.
The SDM Narayana Heart Centre is the first such hospital to conduct such delicate surgeries in this part of Karnataka. The Narayana Heart centre at SDM is well equipped with all the advanced life saving medical equipments and technology to perform any kind of innovative surgeries along with the routine cardiac surgeries. With this innovative technique definitely the people of north Karnataka are going to benefit.
