First ever open heart surgery in Jaffna
By Ananth Palakidnar-2018-01-07The Jaffna Teaching Hospital which suffered greatly during the war has now proved itself to be one of the premier medical institutions in the Island with a successful open heart surgery performed at the hospital a few days before Christmas on 20 December last year.
In the mid eighties, there were plans to shift the hospital from its present location, due to clashes between the Armed Forces and Tamil militants.
One of the wards in the Jaffna hospital was also damaged severely when a mortar shell pierced its roof. However, on that occasion, the patients in the ward escaped without any physical injury.
But in October 1987, a worse fate befell the hospital when over 60 people, including several senior doctors and patients were gunned down by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) who moved into the premises after taking control of Jaffna city from the LTTE.
The Hospital, for students of the Jaffna Medical Faculty also saw a significant number of senior lecturers migrating to foreign countries due to the war.
The gunning down of Forensic expert Dr. Rajini Thiranagama in 1987 was another tragedy for Jaffna's Medical Faculty.
Elite club
However, despite the many hardships and tragedy, Jaffna's doctors proved their brilliance with the open heart surgery performed two weeks back.
Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Sithamparanathan Mukunthan, who headed the successful team of doctors as well the other doctors who carried out the surgery are products of the Jaffna Medical Faculty.
By carrying out this surgery, Jaffna Teaching Hospital has joined an elite club of only four national hospitals which have performed open heart surgeries successfully, according to Hospital Director, Dr. T. Sathyamoorthy.
Sathyamoorthy also spoke of the cardiac unit which functioned thirty years ago at the hospital where eminent doctors such as Dr. Stephan, Dr. R. Natkunam and Dr. Rudra Rajaratnam had rendered their services until 1984.
According to him, one of the pioneer surgeons in the country, the late Dr. A. T. S. Paul had arrived at the Jaffna Hospital in the late sixties to perform heart surgeries.
Heart surgeries were carried out in the past under the Closed Mitral Valvotomy (CMV) system (PDA Ligation ASD Closure).
However, under the latest system, the functions of the heart and the lungs could be stopped completely and surgeries could be performed for long hours.
This particular new method of heart surgery is carried out with the help of a Cardio Pulmonary Bypass Machine.
Cardio Pulmonary Bypass (CPB) is a technique that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery, maintaining the circulation of blood and the oxygen content of the patient's body.
According to Senior Cardiologist, Dr. Poopalan Luxman, the successful team was led by 47-year-old Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. S. Mukunthan and consisted of Consultant Anaesthetists, Cardiologists and operators of the CPB Machine with the support staff of theatre nurses and attendants.
Tireless effort
Sathyamoorthy added that when Mukunthan assumed his duties at the Jaffna Hospital a year ago, the latest facilities to operate a fully-fledged Cardiac Surgical Unit were not available at the hospital.
However, Mukunthan had made a tireless effort to create a state-of-the-art surgical theatre within a period of one year with equipment such as the CPB machine.
The nurses and other support staff of the Cardiac Surgical Unit of the Hospital were trained in Colombo on his directive.
Dr. Sathyamoorthy thanked the Minister of Health Dr. Rajitha Senaratne for his immense contribution towards developing the Hospital and the enthusiasm expressed by him in creating a well equipped open heart surgery unit with the latest equipment in Jaffna.
He also pointed out that there are only two beds available at the Intensive Care Unit to treat patients after heart surgeries and emphasised the need of creating a more spacious environment and more support staff.
There are already 360 patients who have registered with the Jaffna Teaching Hospital to undergo heart surgeries.
Therefore with the help of the Government, the Jaffna Teaching Hospital intends to expand its Cardiac Surgery Unit this year in order to perform Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG) and Valve Replacement Surgery and to obtain all the necessary, latest equipment.
As part of the successful team, chief heart surgical theatre nurse Christopher Rameshkumar and Consultant Anaesthesiologist Dr. S. Premkrishna also contributed in a significant manner.
The first ever highly successful open heart surgery at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital was entirely supported by the Ministry of Health.
