Gleneagles Global Health City Saves The Life Of A Covid Positive Patient By Performing An Emergency Cabg Procedure

~ Doctors at Gleneagles Global Health City risked their life to treat the patient

Chennai, 9th March, 2021: Gleneagles Global Health City (GGHC), a leading multi-speciality quaternary care center in Chennai, successfully treated a 69-year-old lady suffering from Covid-19 and a critical coronary artery disease where she was wheeled in for an emergency Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG).

Ms. Kamala*, a 69-year-old lady, with a history of diabetes and hypertension, was brought into the Emergency Room with complaints of chest pain and discomfort after receiving first-aid for a heart attack. Her ECG and Echocardiogram showed significant drop in her cardiac function and was taken in for an emergent cardiac catheterization study. Dr Gobu P, HOD & Senior Consultant – Institute of Cardiac Sciences) conducted a coronary angiogram which showed a critical left main and triple vessel disease which required an immediate open heart surgery.

The cardiothoracic surgical team led by Dr. Murugu Sundara Pandian, Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Dr Sudheer, Anesthesiologist performed the high-risk surgery for the Covid-19 patient under general anesthesia. Emergency CABG surgery during acute phase of Covid illness has been reported to have a high mortality risk of 20-25% as compared to a routine perioperative risk of 2%. The procedure was crucial and had to be performed immediately as any delay would have compromised her health substantially.

Dr. Murugu Sundara Pandian from Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai said, “The patient was brought to the hospital in a state of an attack. She had received bolus doses of blood thinning tablets. As she was also noted to be infected with Covid-19, surgery was initially deferred. Monoclonal antibodies were administered to the patient under the guidance of Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan, Director – Infectious Diseases. The use of monoclonal antibodies and medical stabilization prevented worsening of her Covid-19 illness. For the team to proceed with the surgery, a detailed analysis was required. The inflammatory markers were mildly elevated, but the HRCT scan of the chest did not show significant lung involvement. After 72 hours of medical stabilization for the angina, the patient was taken up for CABG surgery, as she was considered high risk for progression of cardiac disease. Four grafts were fixed on a beating heart without support of heart lung machine. This is a very rare situation where the patient had successfully recovered from an open heart surgery, despite harboring Covid-19 infection.”

There were no intraoperative complications and patient was weaned off ventilator in 4 hours. She recovered well in the Covid-19 ICU and was transferred to the ward on the 3rd post-operative day. Post-operative Echocardiogram showed that the cardiac function improved to normal level and she was discharged home on the 5th postoperative day.

Congratulating the team on the success of the case, Dr. Alok Khullar, CEO, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, said, “We are proud at GGHC that we have been consistently treating people even during peaks of the pandemic and performing complicated elective surgeries. The well-coordinated team’s effort in saving the life of an elderly lady is highly appreciated. Many critically ill COVID patients with cardiac illnesses had undergone percutaneous coronary interventions as well.”

About Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai:

Gleneagles Global Health City at Perumbakkam – Sholinganallur, Chennai is one of India’s most renowned multi-organ transplant centre. It’s also one of the top tertiary care multi-speciality hospitals in the city with path-breaking Liver, Neuro, Heart, Lung and Kidney procedures to its credit and legacy. The NABH, NABL and NABB
accredited hospital operates 200+ beds. A modern CathLab, 13 operation theatres, advanced imaging services (Trubeam STX, Slice PET CT and Tesla MRI) offer cutting edge emergency and critical care management following internationally approved clinical protocols.

Over 10 years of clinical excellence has earned the hospital tie-ups with all major cashless health insurance players and is the preferred choice hospital by all major corporates in the city. The hospital is an international medical destination for thousands of patients in India, Middle East, Africa and SAARC nations. The hospital also offers VideoConsult services to its patients in India and abroad.

Gleneagles Global Health City is a part of IHH Healthcare, one of the world’s largest healthcare providers. With its full spectrum of integrated services, dedicated people, reach and scale, and commitment to quality and safety, IHH aspires to be the world’s most trusted healthcare services network, united by a single purpose: to touch lives and transform care. More information on Gleneagles Global Health City can be found at hospital website

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