Open heart surgeries have been suspended at King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam since January this year owing to defunct equipment, causing hardship to patients, especially those belonging to economically weaker sections who cannot afford treatment at corporate hospitals.
The KGH officials admitted that except the open heart surgeries, all other cardiac surgeries are being performed.
Open heart surgeries are not being performed due to non-functioning of two major medical equipment– Heart Lung Machine (HLM) and Temperature Monitoring Machine (TMM).
The HLM, also known as the Cardiopulmonary Bypass Machine, temporarily takes over the functions of the heart and lungs during open-heart procedure. It allows surgeons to operate on a failing heart by circulating blood and providing oxygen while the patient’s heart and lungs are bypassed. Without this machine, it is not possible to perform an open heart surgery.
The TMM plays a vital role in assessing and managing the overall health of a patient, especially during surgeries or critical care situations.
Although surgeries have been suspended since January, the issue has recently come to light with reports and allegations by the patients.
This is the second such situation after 2015, when the KGH did not perform open heart surgeries for some time due to the absence of a cardiothoracic surgeon. There was a proposal to allow corporate hospitals to use KGH facilities for open heart surgeries, but it was withdrawn due to strong opposition from the people.
The surgeries resumed after two years with the coronary artery bypass graft surgery performed on a patient from Odisha.
“The heart-lung machine stopped working some time ago. We issued orders two days ago to hire the machine on a rental basis. The new HLM will be purchased through ICICI Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility support. Other cardiac surgeries are being performed without any issues,” Visakhapatnam Collector and KGH Hospital Committee Chairman M.N. Harendhira Prasad told The Hindu on Wednesday.
KGH Superintendent Dr. I. Vani said that they had ordered HLM and TMM machines on a lease basis from a company in Hyderabad.
“The equipment will be available at the KGH soon. We are also taking all steps to procure the equipment needed for open heart surgery through MPLADS and CSR funds. The cost of these is around ₹3 crore. Open heart surgery has been stopped since January this year. Once the equipment reaches us, we will resume it soon. At least 15 to 20 open heart surgeries can be done in a month at KGH,” Dr. Vani said.
