Just before his 90th birthday, an old man successfully undergoes a high-risk bypass surgery at Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Jaipur. This is the first reported case in Rajasthan, wherein a bypass procedure has been successfully performed for a patient at this age. The patient with a prior history of a heart attack had 100 percent blockage in two heart vessels and 80 percent in the third.
“Significant health risks are associated with bypass surgery post the age of 75 years – chances of survival being too low as medical evidence reveals. We are happy that we could successfully perform such a risky operation and improve the quality of life of the patient”, said, Dr. C P Srivastava, HOD & Chief Consultant – Cardiac Surgery, who was accompanied by Dr. Pradeep Goyal, Sr. Consultant – Anesthesia and Critical Care during the surgery.
Dr. Srivastava added that since he also had a prior history of heart attack, it made operating upon him even more challenging. He added that the patient and his family were very keen on a definitive treatment for his heart condition, as medications which he was on, were no longer effective.
Following investigations at the hospital, doctors found that his heart condition was such that an angioplasty would have proven ineffective. Given the willingness of the family to get a bypass conducted on him, they decided to take the risk.
Dr. Mala Airun, Zonal Clinical Director, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital said, “We are witnessing an increasing life expectancy which is leading to the growing number of interventions being sought by the aging population”.
Bypass surgery is a major operation and can be strenuous on the body, particularly at this age. There is a greater risk for older patients succumbing to complications than younger patients.