Mangaluru: After having been established 17 years ago, AJ Hospital & Research Centre, Mangaluru, it is now the leading referral centre in and around Mangaluru for all cardiac as well as c. AJ Hospital has achieved many milestones by conducting various rare surgeries and procedures.
A 28-year-old male from Bantwal of the Dakshina Kannada district was admitted at the AJ Hospital with complaints of breathlessness and weakness in the lower limbs under the care of pulmonologists. After thorough investigation, he was found to have Loculated Empyema with thickened pleura (collapsed lung) and a neurological condition called severe demyelinating polyneuropathy with autonomic dysfunction.
The condition of the patient was such that he required immediate surgery without which he would have developed life-threatening respiratory failure.
He successfully underwent open Awake Thoracic (Lung) Surgery (ATS) under regional anaesthesia, performed by Consultant Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon Dr. Sambhram Shetty H S and ably supported by Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Jayashankar Marla and a team of consultant cardiac anaesthetist Dr. Gururaj Tantry and intensivist Dr. Suhas M K.
The surgery and anaesthesia were complex in view of the fact that the patient was not suited for general anaesthesia because of his neurological condition. The procedure required quick and precise surgical intervention as Awake Thoracic (Lung) Surgery (ATS) poses its own problems, which can cause life-threatening hemodynamic changes. The team successfully managed the case by using the Awake Thoracic (Lung) Surgery (ATS), which is rarely used in the context of cardiothoracic anaesthesia.
Post-surgery, the hospital stay was uneventful and the patient was discharged while in a stable condition.
