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A 50-year-old farmer has got a new lease of life after a Coimbatore hospital successfully operated and removed the diseased covering layer of the heart which was restricting
proper breathing.
The farmer had come to K G Hospital with breathing problem while taking rest and was not able to lie down since two days which was suggestive of heart failure, hospital
chairman, Dr G Bakthavathsalam, said.
The patient had recurrent fever and breathing difficulty for the past six months while walking, Bakthavathsalam said.
Upon evaluation by a cardiologist, it was found that the covering layer, pericardium, had thickened massively, not allowing the heart either to contract or expand during every
beat, he said.
This disease, called 'constrictive pericarditis', usually occurs due to tuberculosis of the heart, Bakthavathsalam said, adding the patient was put on treatment for TB and was
referred to the hospital.
Dr T Jayaram Pai, chief cardiac surgeon, operated upon the farmer and removed the diseased pericardium.
The parietal pericardium - outer layer of pericardium covering the heart - was 1-1/2 inch thick against the normal 0.2 cm, and densely calcified.
The calcium formation had to be chiselled out to make the heart function properly.
In addition, the visceral pericardium - inner layer of pericardium covering the heart - was also found thickened to 1 cm, against the normal thickness of less than 0.1 cm.
This layer was also stripped off, thus completely "liberating" the heart, Bakhthavathsalam said. Upon completion of the procedure, the central venous pressure,
which was 23 mmHg, dropped to the normal 8 mmHG, restoring normal haemodynamics, he said.
The patient was given medicines and breathing equipment for a period of 10 days, which would restore the normal functioning of the heart. (Agencies)
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Surgery releases 'imprisoned heart'
