Doctors at Peerless Hospital and BK Roy Research Institute recently conducted a hi-tech surgery on a 53-year-old patient who had been suffering from cardiac ailments for a long time.

A coronary angiography had earlier revealed that Suresh Kumar Singh, a resident of Jamshedpur, was suffering from a very critical blockage in one of the main coronary arteries.

Doctors at Peerless, where Singh was admitted, were of the opinion that angioplasty would not be suitable for him because of the type and anatomical location of the blockage. It was then decided that he would undergo an off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCABG) without general anaesthesia, also known as ?Awake CABG?.

Though gradually gaining popularity in eastern India, OPCABG is yet to be adopted on a large scale here, doctors said.

?During the surgery, the patient was fully conscious and virtually free of pain. He was discharged in just over a week?s time,? said Himansu K. Das Mahapatra, who led the team of surgeons. Doctors said that post-OPCABG, the patient was doing well and had not developed any complications.

CABG, experts said, was the most commonly performed cardiac surgical procedure across the globe. Previously it was performed on a still or non-working heart by instituting cardiopulmonary bypass with the use of a heart-lung machine.

However, over the past decade, coronary artery anastomoses on the beating heart and other minimally-invasive procedures have gained acceptance.

?This has resulted in achieving a better clinical outcome with significant reduction in post-operative complications and the mortality rate,? one of the doctors at Peerless said.

The doctors, however, added that a surgeon highly skilled and experienced in the beating heart CABG can avoid use of both heart-lung machine and mechanical ventilator during OPCABG.

The main advantage of the technique is avoiding intubation, especially in patients with severe pulmonary impairment.

?The patient can even start taking meals immediately after the surgery,? Das Mahapatra said.