25 Keyhole heart surgeries at KIMS Saveera Hospital in two months; free treatment to Arogya Sri patients

ANANTAPUR: Human heart is so sensitive that it can't tolerate even a small problem. If there are any problems such as blocks in the blood vessels and damage to the valves, heart surgeries are performed. Usually, for this, the sternum is cut and the surgery is performed. But with the help of state-of-the-art technology and expertise in medicine, it is proved that these can also be done in a minimally invasive manner (keyhole).

Doctors at KIMS Saveera Hospital in Anantapur are performing these surgeries. In the past, people of Rayalaseema had to go to Hyderabad or Bangalore to undergo this type of surgery. At present, only KIMS Saveera Hospital is performing these keyhole cardiac surgeries in the entire Rayalaseema region.

Dr K Sandeep Reddy, senior consultant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at the hospital, said, "A very small hole is done for the surgery. Some of the major surgeries like bypass and valve replacement are performed in this manner. In the last two months, more than 25 such surgeries have been carried out in this manner.

Here are the benefits...

Generally, the sternum is cut to get the heart surgery done. Then they are stitched again. As a result, it takes a long time to recover after surgery, the pain is greater, the blood is more likely to be lost during the surgery, and infections may also spread. In addition to all this, a big scar on the chest will always remain. This seems to be embarrassing for young children and women. In the minimally invasive or keyhole method, only a small hole of a few millimeters can be made through which state-of-the-art medical equipment can be sent to the heart, and the surgery can be completed. To do so, we need to have the highest level of skill and the appropriate equipment. The presence of Dr. Sandeep Reddy and his team, who are specially trained in performing such surgeries in addition to the presence of excellent equipment at KIMS Saveera Hospital, have become a boon for the residents of Rayalaseema. Keyhole surgery allows the patient to recover very quickly, the bleeding is very low, the infections do not spread, the pain is less, they can go back to work quickly, and there are no scars on the chest too. So, cosmetically also these surgeries are the best."

It's all free too

Dr. K. Sandeep Reddy said that these surgeries are covered under the Aarogya Sri scheme. So, almost all of them were being provided treatment free of cost under the scheme. Since this is a state-of-the-art surgery, there is no need to have any misconception that it will not be available to them and anyone can get it done completely free of cost under the Arogya Sri scheme, he added.