35-kg woman undergoes valve replacement, heart bypass surgery

A "high-risk" heart surgery was performed successfully on a 68-year-old woman weighing a mere 35 kg here, the doctor who carried it out said.

Aortic valve replacement and bypass surgery were done on Asha Phatak who weighed 60 kg a year ago. But her weight dropped sharply due to her precarious heart condition, said renowned heart surgeon and Asian Heart Institute (AHI) Vice Chairman Ramakanta Panda.

According to the diagnosis, Phatak's heart pumping was very weak, barely 20-25 percent of normal. She had two major blockages in the heart, and narrowing of a heart valve.

"For all these, she needed to undergo both -- a bypass surgery and an aortic valve replacement, but she was very fragile at her 35 kg weight at the time of the surgery," Panda explained.

"It was her strong will power which revived her weak heart. It was one of the most complex and challenging cases I have handled," Panda said.

It was a 10-hour surgery.

Phatak's heart was stopped to replace the narrowed valve with a new one.

--IANS

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