Published on February 10, 2020
AHMEDABAD: Cardiac surgeries over the years have become simpler as intervention methods turn more sophisticated. But doctors face the constant challenge to improve the results of surgeries and reduce hospitalization and recovery times.
“Who can find novel solutions better than the doctors themselves?” said Dr Sukumar Mehta, the organizing chairman of the 66th annual conference of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS).
“As innovations come from their own experiences and rise out of need, they have higher acceptability,” Mehta said.
Dr Dhaval Naik, the organizing secretary of the event, said that the focus this year was on innovations. Here are some breakthroughs discussed at the conference.
STERNUM STAPLER | DR AJAY PATIL
The Rajkot-based surgeon felt the need for this innovation about a decade ago. “A patient in his seventies had issues with the sternum bone after his heart surgery,”
said Dr Patil. “Whenever he coughed, he felt pain in the bone.” Patil started working on a feasible solution. “Over the years, I focused on the ‘stapler’ that only needs to be applied to the bone,” he said. “It not only provides better stability but also reduces the damage to the sternum caused by traditional methods.” Patil already has a patent for his design; human trials are yet to take place.
‘TOTAL’ ARTIFICIAL HEART | DR RADHAKRISHNAN PRADEEP KUMAR
The work in progress, ‘Sasispandan,’ India’s first magnetic bearingless bioprosthetic total artificial heart for destination therapy, is being developed by a team led by Dr R Pradeep Kumar, professor at Gitam University, Andhra Pradesh. “It’s unique in many ways. There will be no wires for charging for a start,” Kumar said. “The device will have a wireless charger. With two valves, it will imitate a human heart with great fidelity.”
With input from various disciplines, the artificial heart can be partially or fully implanted. “It will require fewer cycles of anti-platelet drugs compared to the need in the prevalent systems,” he said. “Artificial hearts, primarily designed in the western countries, sometimes don’t suit the South Asian population. We are trying to address that issue as well.” The titanium ‘heart’ has shown encouraging results in initial lab tests.
Parth Shastri Archive 