New techniques include minimally invasive and off pump or beating heart surgery

With a ground-breaking alternative to conventional bypass surgery now available at the Asiri Surgical Hospital, patients with coronary artery disease/blockages can opt for the minimally invasive surgery that lowers the risk of post-surgery infection and bleeding, ensures shorter recovery time and faster return to normal activities. Performed by an experienced and renowned surgeon in the field – Dr. Vivek Gupta – patients can also avoid highly visible and hideous scarring and large, painful wounds on the chest, returning to their everyday lives within a few days.

The incision for the Minimally Invasive Coronary Surgery (MICS) is about 2 to 3 inches, instead of the 8 to 10 inch incision required for traditional heart bypass operations. The new technique, for which comprehensive facilities and specialized equipment is available in Sri Lanka only at the Asiri Surgical, is capable of overcoming multiple blocks and eliminates the need to cut through the sternum (breastbone) as in the case of the conventional bypass surgery. Recovery period from this is 4 to 5 days as opposed to the six-week rest ordered for a patient who has undergone conventional Coronary Arterial Bypass Grafting (CABG), which also requires the heart to be placed in a heart-lung machine which substitutes for the patient’s heart and lung functions.

MICS was performed for the very first time in Sri Lanka at the Asiri Surgical in May 2013 by the hospital’s Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr. Vivek Gupta. Since then it has become the country’s only hospital to develop a proven track record in MICS, with 11 patients successfully undergoing surgery. Asiri Surgical also became the country’s first to perform MICS on a person over 100kg, when a 130kg patient opted for Asiri Surgical over surgery in India, in September 2013.

The hospital further improved its impressive track record in MICS when for the first time in the country Dr. Gupta performed a rare multi-sequential multi-artery bypass surgery using MICS, in which three vessels of a patient were bypassed, in September 2014. As even many of the top hospitals in India are capable of bypassing only two vessels using MICS in a single operation, this reflects that Asiri Surgical’s MICS capabilities are among the best in the whole of the South Asian Region, Dr. Gupta pointed out.

“While carrying the same risk as the conventional CABG methodology, the new MICS procedure represents a new frontier in heart surgery as it offers patients undergoing bypass surgery numerous benefits and has the potential to soon completely replace the older alternative, especially considering its attraction to diabetic and female patients as the incision is far smaller and far less visible,” Dr. Vivek Gupta – who has over 8,000 cardiac surgeries under his belt and has spent nearly one-and-a-half decades as a consultant following graduation from one of India’s most prestigious medical schools – said.

“We are in the process of acquiring new generation equipment, which together with our existing specialized equipment from trusted American and European brands will enable us to provide an even more enhanced offering in MICS,” Dr. Gupta said, adding that MICS involves a lengthy learning curve and mastery takes months or years, even for a veteran surgeon.

“Due to its complex nature, particularly with the incision being extremely small, MICS requires a vastly-experienced, top-notch cardiac surgeon as well as state-of-the-art equipment from the most trusted brands – a combination which can only be found in Sri Lanka in this particular sphere at Asiri Surgical,” Dr. Ruwan Senatilleke, Medical Director – Asiri Surgical Hospital said. “The introduction of MICS strongly underscores Asiri Surgical’s position as a leader in high-quality and technology-driven medical solutions in the country and reflects the Asiri Group’s continuing commitment to an offering on par with global standards.”

“I felt a lot of relief after the operation,” Ariyapala Perera, a patient from Boralesgamuwa who recently underwent MICS under Dr. Gupta at Asiri Surgical said. Perera, who was able to walk the very next day following surgery, expressing his gratitude to Dr. Gupta said, “I was scared after I got pains in the chest but the doctor soon put me at ease and I am very thankful to him.”

About Asiri Surgical Hospital: A member of Asiri Group of Hospitals, Asiri Surgical offers an array of services and treatments utilising the latest medical technology. It comprises several Intensive Care Units (ICUs), emergency treatment services and modern operating theatre suites, PET/CT, trauma care, a fully-fledged urology service and a state-of-the-art Health Care Centre.

Photo caption: (Top) Dr. Vivek Gupta – Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Asiri Surgical Hospital and (bottom – from left) Dr. Gayani Senanayake – Consultant Anesthesiologist at Asiri Surgical Hospital, Dr. Anil Perera – Consultant/Head of Department of Anesthesiology at Asiri Surgical Hospital, Dr. Vivek Gupta – Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Asiri Surgical Hospital, Dr. Manjula Karunaratne – Director (Medical) and Chief Operating Officer – Asiri Group of Hospitals and Dr. Ruwan Senatilleke, Medical Director at Asiri Surgical Hospital