GRH performs rare heart surgery on lorry driver

On March 30, Andi (53), a lorry driver from Kovilpappakudi village near Madurai, while returning home after a trip suffered a heart attack. He was immediately rushed to Madurai GRH where doctors diagnosed him with septal rupture. After the surgery, he is fine now. 

Addressing the media in Madurai GRH on Wednesday, Selvarani, Assistant Professor at Cardiology department, said that Andi, who suffered a heart attack, was diagnosed with septal rupture between the left ventricle and the right ventricle. It is a rare condition as only in 0.2 per cent of heart attack patients have this complication in the world.

Due to the septal rupture a sudden increase in pressure would take place in the right side of the heart and the patient would suffer breathing problems. It could also prove fatal to the person. Usually open-heart surgery would be performed on such patients. Also, there were complications in the surgery as the success rate was low as 20 to 87 per cent of the patients die during or after the surgery. 

To avoid such complications, a new procedure known as ‘percutaneous transcatheter closure of ventricular septal by percutaneous transcatheter intervention’ using a special device called amplatzer ASD septal occluder device was followed in Andi’s case, Selvarani said. 

As part of the procedure, two umbrella-like discs were implanted on either side of the septal rupture. The procedure went on for nearly an hour and local anaesthesia was administered to the patient, the assistant professor said.

She also said that even though the success rate of this procedure was high only a few such procedures were performed worldwide. This procedure would provide immediate relief to the patient and could ensure speedy recovery.