Hyderabad:  Don’t get stressed over heart surgeries. The heart surgery will be no longer as traumatic as it was before. Minimally invasive cardiac surgeries (MICS) are becoming the order of the day. The trend has been in place in the US and Germany, Europe and other western countries. Increasing number of patients are opting for these quick procedures that heal faster and involve no breaking of bones.

STAR Hospitals is launching a dedicated unit for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS) at their Banjara Hills premises. Disclosing this while addressing a press conference today, Dr. Gopichand Mannam, MD of STAR Hospitals, informed that the new facility will be formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in a special function to be held at Hotel Taj Deccan on Friday at 3pm.  Also to mark the occasion, a Workshop on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery is being organized.

To coincide with the inauguration of the MICS unit an International Workshop on Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery is being conducted on the 13th and 14th January 2012. Eminent surgeons from Ottawa, Canada, Duluth, USA and from different centers in India will be participating in a surgical workshop and sharing their experience with the delegates from all over the country. Efforts are on to increase the awareness among the surgical fraternity and also among the people in general about the minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and thus give them the best of both the worlds; good quality surgery through a small wound and early return to normal activities!

Dr. Marc Ruel, MD, Ottawa, Canada, Full Professor & Endowed Cardiac Surgery Research Chair at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and  Dr. Konda Subba Reddy – Duluth, USA. Consultant Cardio Thoracic Surgeon, St Mary’s Duluth Clinic Medical Centre will speak at the workshop. Dr. Marc Ruel is a pioneer in minimally invasive cardiac surgery and has developed novel techniques that he teaches to surgeons across countries.

MICS is favored by surgeons and patients because of reduced post-operative discomfort, faster healing times and lowered risk of infections or complications. Thanks to this new technique, there is no splitting of the breastbone. So there is a dramatic reduction in pain, lower risk of infection, bleeding, reduced ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and hospital stay.  This will also enable an improved postoperative lung function. This procedure also ensures improved quality of life and greatly improved cosmetic results. Hence it is preferred by many now. Currently the cost of the procedure is slightly more compared to the traditional operation because of the specialized equipment for these procedures.  However, not all the patients will be eligible to go through this procedure.

Most often, open heart surgery is performed through a cut in the middle of the front of the chest, about 18-20cm long, cutting the skin and the breast bone. Many patients fear surgery because of the pain associated with the long cut and others, particularly women, have issues regarding cosmetic appearance arising because of the scar right down the middle of the chest. Now it is possible to do open heart surgeries with small incisions (cut), either in the middle of the chest or to one side of the chest. This sort of approach for surgery on the heart is technically called MICS (pronounced mix).

Dr. Gopichand Mannam, MD of STAR Hospitals, Hyderabad, and his surgical team, have long recognized the importance of MICS in selected patients, with commendable success. He is among the first of the surgeons in the country to have done small incision CABG, ASD closures and valve replacements through the side of the chest, way back in the late 1990’s. Dr. Gopichand is also credited with the earliest use of robotics in cardiac surgery in our state. Currently, with the availability of new age cutting edge technology, and improved understanding of the nuances in small incision surgeries, the surgical group headed by Dr. Gopichand Mannam at STAR Hospitals, Hyderabad, is launching a dedicated unit for MICS, at their Banjara Hills premises. The team has a combined experience of doing more than 17000 open heart surgeries, including a few cases with small cuts on the chest (minimally invasive), with excellent results that are comparable with any surgical centre around the world. Now, with the newly acquired state of the art technology and the profound surgical experience that the group possesses, we are ready to launch the minimally invasive program.

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery achieves the same outcome of the surgery through smaller wounds on the chest, without cutting any bone. These are less painful and the scar would be small and imperceptible. The healing of the wound occurs in a shorter period thereby reducing the number of days in the intensive care (ICU) and the hospital. One can resume normal physical activities quickly compared to traditional open heart surgery. However, not all patients can be operated with this approach. Most of the valve replacement surgeries, both mitral and aortic valve can be done through MICS. At least 50% of patients needing coronary artery bypass (CABG) operations would also be suitable for this approach. The cardiologist and the cardiac surgeon together consider several parameters before selecting the appropriate patient for the MICS approach. The team of surgeons at STAR Hospitals reiterates its commitment to expertise, empathy and excellence in the care of their patients through the launch of the MICS unit.

Minimally invasive methods have been there since 1997. Nearly 2000 procedures are done across India. But what is new is that people are more aware and now started accepting them. And a lot more procedures can be done through this approach hereafter.