A 32-year-old extremely obese,young man got a second chance at life after undergoing achallenging and rare cardiac tumor surgery at Fortis Malar Hospital, Chennai. Eminent doctors headed by Dr. Thejaswi N Marla, Clinical Lead, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Fortis Malar treated the challenging case via minimally invasive keyhole surgery over conventional sternotomy.

The young patient was presented at Fortis Malar with symptoms of breathlessness and frequent episodes of giddiness.  Post diagnosis, Dr. Manohar G, Senior Interventional Cardiologist identified that the symptoms were due to a very large cardiac tumor, in his right atrium. The large mass measuring 11.5x8 cms was completely blocking the blood flow to the right ventricle by occupying the entire right atrium. The clinical experts at Fortis Malar diagnosed the tumor at the appropriate time and successfully excised and rebuilt the chamber with a small incision. Cardiactumors are a rare occurrences as cardiac tissues are very resistant to cancer. Unremoved cardiac tumors can be fatal as it blocks blood circulation.

Elaborating on the case Dr. Thejaswi N Marla, Clinical Lead, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Fortis Malarsaid, “This is the largest cardiac tumor excised in medical history that too by a minimally invasive procedure. We diagnosed the 120 kgs male patient, with a tumour in the right atrium after performing echocardiogram and computerized tomography imaging. The mass in the right atrium was blocking blood flow to the ventricle, which is normally rare in the heart. If the mass had embolized it would have blocked the pulmonary artery leading to immediate death.

“The surgery would have been incomplete if the atrium wasnot properly reconstructed with sufficient chamber space. The case was challenging as the patient was heavily obese. The conventional sternotomy would have left the patient bedridden for three months. Overcoming the technical challenges like patient safety, establishing proper blood flow through Cardiopulmonary bypass, and anaesthesia risk of hypoventilation, our expert team comprising Dr. Ajeetha P. K and Dr. Naveen Kumar D, Cardiac Anaesthetists successfully removed the mass and gave a new life to the young man. After his first review, the condition of the patient was fine, and his cardiac function is normal” adds Dr. Thejaswi N Marla

Mr. Chandrasekar, Facility Director, Fortis Malar said, “I congratulate the expert team on giving the sole breadwinner a normal life. Given his young age and the difficulty of living with a cardiac mass, surgery is essential. Choosing the right treatment procedure and timely assessment helped the patient to get a new lease of life. We are proud that Dr. Thejaswi N Marla and his team of surgeons, critical care specialists, cardiac anaesthesiologists, and nurses have helped the patient recover quickly”