A groundbreaking heart procedure was successfully performed in the capital last week. Doctors closed a hole in a patient’s heart using a non-invasive technique—meaning no major surgery and no scars. This condition, called Atrial Septal Defect or ASD, is a birth defect where there’s a hole between the heart’s upper chambers. If left untreated, it can lead to serious problems like heart failure or stroke.
70-year-old Tashi is one of the two patients who underwent the procedure. She suffered from shortness of breath and a lack of energy to walk long distances for eight years. The Gelephu hospital referred her to Thimphu.
“I struggled to breathe and felt like my body was swelling. Sometimes, I felt that way, and other times, I was fine. After the procedure, my breathing improved, and I have been feeling good ever since.”
During the procedure, a tube is inserted through a small incision in the groin. From there, the tube will be threaded through blood vessels to the heart. Next, the doctor will place a device across the defect to plug the hole. The device will stay in the heart and prevent blood from crossing between the upper chambers. Then, the tube will be removed from the body.
This procedure costs around Nu 200,000 to 250,000 if referred abroad.
And the man behind the procedure is Doctor Mahesh Gurung, an interventional cardiologist. The procedure was conducted along with Dr Kothandam Sivakumar from Chennai. Doctor Mahesh said the procedure was possible through his guidance and the arrival of devices.
“It’s a minimally invasive procedure. So we try to put a mesh, umbrella kind of mesh into the heart, squeeze it through a pipe and then deploy it to close the Atrial Septal Defect. On January 10th, we did a comprehensive screening for ASD and assessment of all the ASD patients to assess whether these are device-closable or not.”
However, an open heart surgery must be performed for those who cannot be treated with this method. The doctor added that, gradually the national referral hospital aims to provide this service as well.
Meanwhile, more patients like Tashi are expected to undergo the procedure in May.
Singye Dema
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
