Non-surgical procedure: Doctors develop new technique for heart patients

Here is new hope for heart patients who cannot undergo surgical interventions. Protected Percutaneous Intervention (PCI), is a non-surgical procedure to open up blood vessels in the heart.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday , Dr Harinder Kumar Bali, chairperson, Cardiac Sciences, Paras Hospitals along with other doctors of a cardiac team, said Protected Percutaneous Intervention (PCI), is a non-surgical procedure which uses a catheter (a thin flexible tube) to place a small structure called a stent to open up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup, calcification, etc. This procedure is recommended world-wide for heart patients for whom surgery is not possible or anaesthesia can’t be given. In such cases, Impella- world’s smallest mechanical heart pump is used to temporarily pump blood which is then removed after some time.

“Elderly patients with weak cardiac muscles or comorbidities are ideal candidates for protected PCI. Patients who have previously undergone bypass surgery, have heart failure symptoms such as breathlessness or have been in and out of different hospitals with heart failure symptoms are recommended Protected PCI”, said Dr. H.K. Bali.

Merely 6 weeks after being introduced, two such procedures have been performed by Dr. Bali who has done more than 15,000 Pulmonary Interventions over the last 30 years.

Kusum Sharma, one of the patients who has undergone Protected PCI from Dr Bali, called the procedure trouble-free and easy to recover from. “The recovery time took me 2-3 days. It was a bit frightening at the beginning but Bali and my family made sure that I was at ease. I feel much healthier and better now”, saidKusum. Dr Jatinder Arora, Facility Director, Paras Hospitals, said, “Our team is focusing to make the procedure affordable so that the people who don’t have health insurance can also come.”