Thrilled to see doctor wearing 3D glasses "threading thread, threading needle" to save a heart with arrhythmia

(Dan Tri) - The complex surgery lasting many hours helped revive the patient's heart, opening up the opportunity for a gentler recovery than traditional open surgery.

A woman over 40 years old has had to live with severe valvular stenosis for a long time. The heart valve gradually stiffens and does not open fully, making it difficult for blood to circulate. The patient is often tired, has difficulty breathing, and is in poor health.

In addition, the patient also has atrial fibrillation. This is a condition in which the atrium of the heart beats erratically, causing blood to not be pumped all the way down to the ventricles but stagnates, easily forming blood clots.

When a blood clot travels through the bloodstream, the patient may face the risk of cerebral embolism, causing a stroke or blocking other vessels in the body.

Faced with this situation, doctors at E Hospital decided to perform heart valve replacement surgery and defibrillation for the patient. Unlike previous open surgery that required sawing the sternum, the patient's condition could be resolved through a small incision in the rib, using 3D endoscopic techniques.

At 8:30, the patient was transferred to operating room number 2. A team of 7 doctors and nurses, including anesthesiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, nurses, technicians, etc., were ready for the hours-long surgery to "rescue" the woman's heart.

The anesthesia team conducts pre-anesthesia checks and induces general anesthesia on the patient. Then, another team sets up the heart-lung bypass system. This special machine will act as a “second heart”, replacing the patient’s heart and lungs to maintain blood circulation throughout the surgery.

At 9:45 a.m., after checking the patient's parameters once again and discussing with the team, Dr. Nguyen Cong Huu - Director of E Hospital, used a scalpel to create a small incision in the chest wall. Through this "gate", endoscopic instruments will perform the task of healing the patient's heart.

“The endoscopic incision is very small, enough to insert instruments or artificial valves into the heart. But to do that, the surgical team must be well-trained, highly skilled and work well together.

This is a technique that requires great precision, modern equipment, and especially the proficiency of the medical team," Dr. Huu analyzed.

The camera and endoscope entered the intercostal space. On the screen, the internal structure appeared clearly. While operating, Dr. Huu explained to the young surgeon about the anatomical landmarks and hemostasis techniques, turning the surgery into a valuable “practical lesson”.

With 3D laparoscopic surgery, doctors use specialized screens and glasses to magnify images from inside the chest, reproducing the heart structure with clear depth and detail.

"Thanks to that, the surgeon can observe three-dimensional space instead of flat images like before, the suturing and fixing of the valve is more precise, reducing the risk of errors and shortening the surgery time," Dr. Huu analyzed.

The specialist is highly focused, making precise incisions down to the millimeter to gradually approach the heart, an extremely sensitive organ.

Immediately after clamping the aorta, the team injected cold cardioplegia solution into the heart. Within seconds, the heart stopped beating under control, and the heart muscle went into a “resting” state.

"Cardioplegia creates a bloodless and motionless surgical field, while protecting the heart from damage due to ischemia during surgery," Dr. Huu shared.

In atrial fibrillation, doctors use a defibrillator. This device emits a short, strong electrical current to the necessary locations to “reset” the heart rhythm, helping the heart return to a normal rhythm.

The heart valve appeared jagged and rough due to calcification. If not treated thoroughly, the fragments could follow the blood flow to the brain, causing dangerous complications. The team carefully cleaned and removed every piece of calcification. While working, they calculated each pulse of blood flow and each degree of heart muscle temperature increase and decrease.

After opening the heart chamber, the valve ring is measured in size using a specialized instrument.

“Size 27,” Dr. Huu read the measurement result. A nurse quickly prepared the correct size artificial valve and disinfected it.

In a surgical field of just a few centimeters, 12 threads are threaded evenly around the valve ring. The operation requires precision and coordinated movements. These threads will help fix the artificial heart valve, helping it function well for many years.

Each thread is guided through the artificial valve ring. To save time, instead of tying each knot manually as before, the doctor uses an automatic thread cutter.

"It is locked immediately and neatly, minimizing the time the heart has to stop beating. This technology helps surgeons be both faster and safer, especially in the limited space of laparoscopic surgery," Dr. Huu shared.

After more than 30 minutes of "pulling the thread and threading the needle", the artificial valve was placed neatly in the heart, much larger and more open than the old valve which was narrow and calcified. The doctors checked for watertightness, thoroughly treated the leaks, and stitched the heart wall back together.

“Heart valve replacement by laparoscopic surgery brings great benefits to patients: less pain, less bleeding, quick recovery and small surgical scars,” shared the Director of E Hospital.

At 1 p.m., as the heart muscle temperature gradually increased, the aortic clamp was removed, and blood flowed into the heart chamber. Just a few seconds later, the heart started beating without an electric shock. On the monitor, the patient's heart rate gradually increased, bringing joy to the entire team.

The patient's heart was beating steadily, hemodynamics were stable, and the heart-lung machine was gradually weaned off. The drainage tubes were placed in the correct position, and the small incision was sutured. The patient was transferred to intensive care, opening a much smoother recovery journey than the previous open surgery.

“The biggest advantage of laparoscopic surgery is the reduced risk of infection thanks to the closed surgical environment. Second, the incisions are hidden in the body's natural folds, so patients no longer feel self-conscious about the long surgical scar in the middle of their chest. That helps improve the quality of life after surgery very clearly," said Dr. Huu.

Photo: Manh Quan

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/hoi-hop-xem-bac-si-deo-kinh-3d-xe-chi-luon-kim-cuu-trai-tim-loi-nhip-20250923130159549.htm