Hyderabad cardiac surgeon Prateek Bhatnagar performs India's first coronary bypass surgery on COVID-19 recovered patient

The patient was also going through coronary artery and chest pain on exertion for over a year.

Photo: Zee Media

Hyderabad: In the first instance of its kind in India, a Hyderabad-based renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Prateek Bhatnagar and his team have successfully performed coronary bypass surgery on a 63-year old COVID-19 recovered patient. 

The patient, Afsar Khan, is a resident of Karwan in Hyderabad's old city and was admitted in the Government Gandhi Hospital in April for 21 days due to coronavirus. He also had a severe heart condition after recovering from coronavirus. 

"We are sure that this is first of its kind coronary bypass surgery on a COVID-19 recovered patient. The main worry for us was the function of the lungs, particularly in those who had Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI), like this patient. After recovering from COVID-19, the lungs in such patients continue to show some pathological abnormalities like pulmonary fibrosis," said Dr Prateek Bhatnagar, Director, Cardiac Surgery and Chief Cardiac Surgeon at Care Hospital in Hyderabad.

The Beating Heart Surgery technique was used in this triple bypass surgery.

"By using the technique of Beating Heart Surgery, the use of a heart-lung machine was excluded. This prevented the risks of pump lungs, that may happen in high-risk patients like this one. Use of arterial grafting should provide long term benefits too," commented Dr Prateek Bhatnagar.

Afsar Khan was also going through coronary artery and chest pain on exertion for over a year. 

Earlier in November 2019, he underwent a CT coronary angiography that showed blocks in all the three coronary arteries of the heart. After his successful treatment for COVID-19 in April end, his heart symptoms increased and in May he developed unstable angina. With increased chest pain, he underwent a coronary angiography again in June that showed blocks in the left main coronary artery, 100 % block in the LAD coronary artery, as well as a tight block in the right coronary artery.

"We were very scared. It was a double whammy for us. First COVID-19 and immediately followed by a heart condition. Now we are very relieved that within four days of surgery he is being discharged. He is normal right from the second day of surgery," said Syed, son of Afsar.

This pioneering surgery is now being sent for publication in several medical journals.