Dr H S Bedi Becomes First Surgeon in the World to Perform Minimally Invasive Open Heart Surgery Using Cath Lab

Dr Bedi to present work at Annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons, California, USA

Chandigarh, India (PRWEB) October 18, 2006 -- Dr Harinder Singh Bedi, Director & Chairman, Cardiac Sciences, Ludhiana Medicity, Ludhiana has now become the first surgeon in the world to perform a Minimally Invasive Open Heart Surgery utilizing a unique state-of-the-art Cath Lab by performing this one-of-its-kind procedure on a fourteen year old girl. This was announced by Dr Bedi himself, here today.

The patient – a young 14-year-old girl from Jagraon suffered from a large hole in the heart which was causing damage to the heart and lungs and leading to a wasteful recirculation of blood in the heart itself. She was advised a major open heart surgery as the alternative of device closure was not possible due to the size, situation and shape of the defect.

Both the parents and the young patient were aware of the urgent need for surgery but were concerned that a visible scar would be present on the front of the chest. Dr Bedi appreciated their concern and suggested the radical procedure of Minimally Invasive Open Heart Surgery. In this method, instead of the standard incision on the front of the chest, a very small cut is made on the side under the right breast. Once it heals, this scar is almost invisible. Dr Bedi has trained in the use of this approach at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Sydney, Australia.

The only problem was that some parts of the vascular system are relatively out of sight and this leads to difficulty in putting in the tubes essential to the conduct of the operation. Dr Bedi realized that the only way out was to visualize these structures by the use of special X Rays. Ludhiana Mediciti has recently acquired a specialized state-of-the-art Cath Lab – the Allenger’s Cath Lab - which is available in very few centers at present. This is a mobile cath Lab and its unique aspect is that it can be wheeled directly into the cardiac operation theatre. With the use of this technology all the tubes were put in by a percutaneous technique with no cuts in the body – only needle holes, which heal with no scar. The small cut is not only of aesthetic value but also leads to a rapid recovery and reduces pain and discomfort.

During the procedure, no major artery or vein had to be cut or repaired. The heart was approached by a 3-inch incision in the side of the chest. The open-heart surgery was conducted without a hitch and the large hole in the heart repaired. The patient made an uneventful recovery and was fit for discharge on the 2nd day post operation.

Speaking on the procedure, Dr Bedi said, “In today’s age patients, especially young women, are very aware of the need for aesthetics. This is especially important in young ladies who do not want a visible unsightly scar. Of the 2.5 million heart valve patients in India a vast majority are young ladies who would benefit greatly from this surgery. Besides, his technique is also useful in patients for valve repair or replacement.”

This is the first known procedure where Minimally Invasive Open Heart Surgery has been conducted with the help of a Cath Lab in the cardiac operation theatre itself. Dr Bedi has now been invited to present his technique in front of an international audience at the prestigious 43rd Annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons meeting in California, USA.

Dr Bedi, Co-Director of Ludhiana Medicity, along with Dr BS Sekhon and Dr Harjeet Singh, today reaffirmed the commitment of Ludhiana Mediciti to stay at the forefront of advances in medical technology so as to provide the latest and best medical facilities and expertise to the people of Punjab.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. H.S. Bedi
Ludhiana Mediciti
Ludhiana
09814060480

Editorial Contact:
QuikRelations
Chandigarh
+91-98140-08919

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