A 39-year-old Keralite, who suffered from a rare condition called haemophilia, where the blood does not clot, underwent a complicated cardiac surgery in the city that got him back to normalcy.

Doctors claimed this was the first time in the world that a patient with haemophilia had undergone a surgery like this.

Binu Nettikadan, who owns a wristwatch shop in Angamaly in Ernakulam district, was admitted to MIOT International Multi-Speciality Hospital on March 21. Two months ago, he had complained of uneasiness while coughing. An MRI scan and eco-tests revealed he had an enlargement in the artery that carries pure blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Also, he had a leak in the aortic valve, one of the main valves of the heart.

“Doctors elsewhere, who diagnosed him with the condition, were hesitant to do the surgery as he has haemophilia, which means a minor wound causes profuse bleeding and perhaps even turn fatal,” said Dr V V Bashi, chief cardiovascular surgeon at MIOT.

“However, we took up the challenge. Six specialists performed the seven-hour-long surgery. The aorta was replaced with dacron graft (made of a synthetic material). Metal or titanium grafts have to be replaced after 10-12 years, but dacron graft is a permanent one.
“During the surgery, the patient was put on a heart-lung machine,” Dr Bashi explained, claiming that while patients with haemophilia have undergone heart surgeries earlier, this particular type of surgery has not been reported anywhere in the world so far.

Dr Chezhian Subash, chief haematologist at the hospital, said the team was closely monitoring the clotting parameters of the patient before, during and after the surgery.

To address the issue of blood not clotting, about 2,200 units of anti-haemophilic factor dosage (blood-clotting drug) was injected two hours before the surgery. During the surgery, 7,000 units of the medicine were administered every hour. For five days after the surgery, the patient was injected 2,200 units twice a day. This has now been reduced to alternative days.

“After a week, the injection can be stopped. Now, the patient is recovering and will be discharged in a day or two,” the doctor added.