Hole in the heart healed without scar on chest

Surgeons at the Madras Medical Mission (MMM) have managed to repair a ‘hole in the heart’ through a minimally invasive surgery that does not require cutting open the chest. 

“The patient, Mary (23), is not married yet and did not want a long, prominent scar in the middle of the chest. As we had the equipment and the expertise to perform minimally invasive cardiac surgery, we decided to go ahead with it,” said Dr Anbarasu Mohanraj, senior consultant. To repair an atrial septal defect, commonly known as a hole in the heart, surgeons would conventionally have to make a 25 cm long incision in the middle of the chest and saw through the breast bone.

The hole would then be closed using either synthetic  material or the patient’s own tissue. “We performed the same repair using sophisticated equipment and imaging, through a 5-cm cut made on the side of the chest, near the ribs. Blood loss is minimal and the patient recovers much quicker,” explained Dr Anbarasu, pointing out that there was hardly any pain and no broken bones. “The person can walk on the second day and is usually discharged on the fourth day after surgery,” he added.