Mangalore: Rare 2 in 1 procedure saves policeman at Father Muller Hospital

Media Release

Mangalore, Feb 20: For the first time in Karnataka, a combined "hybrid (2 in 1)" procedure was carried out at Father Muller Hospital by a team of doctors headed by Dr H Prabhakar and Dr A G Jayakrishnan, saving the life of a 47-year-old policeman.

The patient was admitted to cardiology department of Father Muller hospital with severe breathing difficulty and swelling of both legs. He had a history of enlargement of veins (varicose veins) in the legs and had undergone many surgeries in outside hospital in Mangalore.

Dr H Prabhakar, chief interventional cardilogist and Dr Sayyid has conducted several tests, made a diagnosis of acute chronic pulmonary thromboembolism. Both his lungs were filled with clots causing obstruction to blood flow into the lungs and causing failure of the right side of the heart. Leg veins and heart chamber were filled with clots.

Emergency surgery was conducted by a team of cardiac surgeons headed by Dr A G Jayakrishnan and Dr K T Anand in which after connecting the patient to a heart lung machine all the clots were removed from both lungs as well as from the right heart chamber .The entire procedure took over 5 hours.

At the same time a filter was inserted by Dr H Prabhakar through a leg vein into the main vein to prevent spread of further clots to the lung from the leg in operation theater.

This is the first time that such a hybrid procedure is being carried out in the state.

The patient has recovered well and will be able to resume work soon.

Fr Patrick Rodrigues, director, FMCI, said that Father Muller Hospital is equipped with the latest instruments to handle complicated heart diseases. Fr Richard Coelho, administrator, FMMCH, congratulated the team of doctors who saved the serving policeman from critical illness.