A 52-year-old man who had suffered a massive heart attack that had led to a complete rupture of cardiac muscles has received a new lease of life after undergoing three complex surgeries in five hours at a leading private facility in Gurgaon, hospital authorities said on April 30.

The patient was only complaining of cough and breathlessness and did not have any symptoms of chest pain despite severe blockage in three arteries. Initial investigations confirmed a severe leakage in the main valve along with ruptured heart muscle which led to reduced heart function, they said.

A team of doctors led by Dr Udgeath Dhir, Director and Head, CTVS, Fortis Memorial Research Institute Gurgaon, immediately intervened and the patient was admitted to ICU. "The rarity of such cases is 1:10,000 and the chances of successful surgeries involving multiple procedures are abysmally low," the hospital claimed in a statement.

The patient had suffered a massive heart attack that had led to a complete rupture of heart muscles. He was presented at the hospital with massive breathlessness and lungs flooded with blood due to severe leakage in the valve and the right side of the heart was not functioning properly.

Once he was admitted to the ICU, the doctors decided to go ahead with coronary angiography to understand the condition of his coronary artery, the statement said. This helped the team discover huge blockages in three arteries.

Looking at the deteriorating health of the patient, a multidisciplinary team of senior clinicians opted for a triple surgery procedure which included a bypass surgery, repair of the mitral valve which was leaking severely and repair of the heart muscle which was ruptured and contained, it said.

Speaking about the medical challenges of the case, Dr Dhir, said "The case was extremely challenging because apart from all the three main arteries of the heart being blocked with more than 90 per cent disease, the heart function which is normally 55 was also reduced to 20 to 25 per cent, and even the right heart function was severely decreased. The condition was precarious as the left side heart muscle had ruptured leading to a rupture of the heart (pseudoaneurysm). In addition, the main valve of the left side of the heart was severely leaking".

The triple surgery combination performed is very uncommon and only 3-4 cases in a lifetime have been seen. The left-sided heart muscle rupture was repaired with a delicate surgical technique and repair of the left side of the valve and all the critical blockages were tackled with bypass surgery, doctors said.

The procedure was performed recently, a hospital spokesperson said. Dr Dhir further said, the patient was kept on a ventilator for 24-36 hours and then for five days in the ICU. He was discharged on the eighth post-surgery day with a heart function of 40 per cent. The patient has slowly resumed daily activities and is able to walk without any breathlessness.