New Delhi: In a first, doctors at AIIMS
claimed to have replaced blood supplying vessel of the heart
without stopping blood circulation or cooling the body thereby
avoiding side effects like permanent neurological problems
post-surgery.
"We have changed a major portion of the aorta (largest
blood supplying vessel in the body) following a new procedure
instead of the conventional one. We did this to minimise the
post-surgical permanent neurological problem," Dr Shiv
Choudhary of the Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery Department at
AIIMS said today.
He said, "This has been attempted for the first time
in India."
Twenty seven-year-old Rashmi Katiyar, who underwent the
surgery a couple of days ago has started walking in the ward
without any help.
She was diagnosed with aortic dissection -- a condition
wherein a tear in the wall of the blood supplying vessel
causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the
aorta finally leading to excessive bleeding and death on many
occasions.
The conventional treatment is replacement of the
damaged portion of the main aorta with an artificial one. The
procedure followed is cooling of the body to 18 degrees and
stopping the blood flow to brain, heart and other organs.
In the new procedure, Dr Chowdhary and his team did not
cool the body nor stop the blood flow.
"We tried this new procedure because human body cells
are said to function well at 37 degrees and temperature below
it hampers these cells. Blood flow to any part of the body
after a stipulated time period kills the cells and is
reflected in post operation permanent neurological problems,"
he said.
PTI
