A 65-year-old Iraqi national successfully underwent a Robotic Assisted Double Valve Replacement heart surgery at a private hospital in Chennai, claimed to be world's first such instance.
Ali Mala Bas, the patient, can lead a normal life within a few weeks of the surgery at Chettinad Health City, Institute of Cardio Vascular Disease, Director Dr Ravi Kumar said.
He added that the patient's first mitral valve was repaired by a doctor in the United States way back in 2000. It was for the first time that a double valve replacement was done using a robot this year, he claimed.
The use of a robot enabled the surgery to be done more accurately by using the space of rib bones of the patient, he said.
"Instead of an open heart surgery this has many advantages like less tissue damage, less bleeding. The patient can lead a normal life within few days after surgery," Dr Kumar said.
He said the case was little complicated because the patient was already having a coronory artery disease, a kidney ailment besides Mitral Stenosis (the shrinkage of the mitral valve).
The surgery was done on September 21.
Stating that robotic surgery was picking up in developed nations, Dr Kumar said it was in the early stages in India. "Doctors should have done at least 1,000 open heart surgery cases and good training before doing Robotic Assisted surgeries," he said.
Dr Kumar said the surgery cost $5,000 in India, while the same was charged at $40,000 in the United States.
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