'Apollo Technique' enables simpler and safer option in minimally invasive heart surgeries

Over 500 people, including GCC patients, have successfully underwent the procedure at Apollo Bengaluru

Dubai, UAE, July 23rd, 2015: Apollo Hospitals, Asia’s foremost healthcare provider and pioneer in minimally invasive procedures in India, has developed an advanced technique for conducting complex cardiac surgeries with greater precision and improved patient outcomes. The ‘Minimal Access Cardiac Surgery’ method, successfully improvised and deployed by Dr. Satyaki Nambala, Senior Consultant and Chief Cardiovascular Surgeon at the Apollo Hospital Bengaluru, has been performed on over 500 heart patients with remarkable success at the hospital.

“Dr Nambala’s minimally invasive technique is a significant milestone in the efforts to tackle heart diseases increasing alarmingly among certain communities such as Gulf Arabs and South Asians. Recent studies have shown that high prevalence of diabetes and obesity have made GCC citizens particularly prone to cardiovascular diseases and the large number of patients we receive every year from countries like the UAE, Qatar and Oman validate such findings,” said Dr.K.Hariprasad, CEO, Apollo Hospitals.

Statistics quoted at the Asian Pacific Society Cardiology Congress 2015 revealed patients in the GCC die 12 years younger when they suffer their first cardiac episode when compared to those in Europe and the US. While the average age of occurrence for the first cardiac episode in Europe and the US is 60-74, it is 40-50 in the Gulf. Heart disease is the top killer in the UAE and doctors point out that patients run the risk of dying within five years of a cardiac episode if the disease is not rigorously managed.

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS) is now increasingly preferred in heart surgeries because of its unique advantages. Diabetics and older patients with less resistance to infections particularly rely on MICS as post-surgical infections risks and blood loss as well as hospital stay and recovery time are minimal.

Known as the ‘Apollo Technique,’ the method devised by Dr. Nambala involves a series of techniques and tools adapted in collaboration with leading industry partners to offer a less complex and more effective procedure for the benefit of the patient as well as the surgeon. Highly advanced instrumentation and advanced techniques combined in the ‘Apollo Technique’ guarantee a high level of safety too.

“Minimally invasive techniques help reach to heart valves and repair them through a small incision between the ribs, without having to split the breastbone (sternotomy) as in an open-heart surgery. Unlike previous techniques MICS helps to safely bypass all arterial blocks irrespective of their location, which in itself is a major advantage. Going through the ribs provides more stability and patient benefits, however, the procedure can be technically challenging as multiple surgeons involved limit access and visibility, explained Dr Nambala.

“In the Apollo Technique a single surgeon conducts the whole procedure with processes and equipment adapted to provide better access and improved visibility even through a smaller, well-hidden, painless and cosmetic incision under the breast. This technique is a value addition to the proven benefits of MICS and we have been performing these procedures very safely,” Dr. Nambala said.

A highly skilled cardio-thoracic surgeon, Dr. Nambala completed his training in minimally invasive techniques at the Harvard Medical School, which is an affiliate of the Brigham and Women Hospital in Boston, a pioneer in MICS. “At Apollo Bengaluru these operations are performed 4-5 days in a week making the entire team well-versed with the techniques and patient management,” added Dr Nambala.

Apollo Hospitals is a major referral centre for minimally invasive surgeries and receives a large number of patients from all over the world looking for affordable, superior quality medical care along with less waiting time and minimum hospital stay.  Over 60,000 foreign patients from across the world, including the UAE, Oman and Qatar, have been successfully treated at the hospital during the last five years and the numbers are looking up every year.