The patient described is a 48-year-old female with multiple health issues, including multi-vessel disease, a critical blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery, uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, an osteoporotic sternum, a small left internal mammary artery, small coronary vessels, and a scar on the anterior wall from a previous heart attack.
During surgery, the surgeon Prof.Dr Arun Kumar and his team from Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, SIMATS determined that bypassing the blockages in the LAD and other vessels using the patient’s own internal mammary artery would not be possible due to the patient’s small internal mammary artery and the presence of multiple plaques. Instead, the surgeon decided to use the saphenous vein as the bypass conduit, and performed the surgery off-pump. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) is a surgical procedure that is performed without the use of a heart-lung machine. In this procedure, the surgeon operates on the heart while it is still beating, which can reduce the risk of certain complications associated with the use of a heart-lung machine.
The patient was transferred to the post-operative intensive care unit with minimal inotropic support. Inotropic support refers to the use of drugs to increase the strength of the heart’s contractions, which is used to support the heart’s pumping function. The minimal inotropic support may indicate that the patient’s heart function is stable and that her condition is stable after the surgery. It is important to note that this individual has multiple health issues which might affect the outcome of the surgery, and the patient will have to be closely monitored and follow up care should be provided in order to ensure a successful recovery.
