In a remarkable display of medical expertise, a team of cardiologists in Mangaluru has successfully performed a rare and complex procedure to remove a pacemaker lead that had been embedded inside a patient's body for an astonishing 35 years. The intricate hour-long intervention at Omega Hospital Pvt Ltd has cured a patient who had been suffering from a recurrent fever for nearly a year, which was traced back to the chronically implanted device component.
A Year-Long Mystery Solved
The patient's ordeal began with a persistent fever that recurred for close to a year. After extensive investigation, the medical team identified the source: the old pacemaker lead, a wire that connects the pacemaker device to the heart, had become a site of chronic infection. Dr K Mukund, the director and senior cardiologist at Omega Hospital, first took charge of stabilising the patient's condition with a course of antibiotics. Recognising the complexity of the definitive treatment required, he referred the case to a specialist for the critical extraction procedure.
The Delicate Extraction Procedure
The task of removing the deeply entrenched lead fell to electrophysiologist Dr Yajnik Mukund Kumble. The goal was to perform the extraction without resorting to major open-heart surgery, a significantly riskier and more invasive option. The procedure was carried out in the hospital's advanced cardiac catheterisation laboratory. With anaesthetic support provided by Dr Meghna, Dr Kumble utilised specialised techniques designed for such complex cases.
Over the course of an hour, the medical team worked meticulously to detach and safely withdraw the lead, which had been in place for over three decades. The use of a catheter-based approach minimised trauma and improved recovery prospects. The procedure was completed successfully, with the lead removed in its entirety and without any reported complications for the patient.
A New Lease on Life
This successful intervention highlights several key advancements in modern cardiology. Firstly, it underscores the capability of specialised cardiac centres to handle rare and high-risk procedures that were once considered nearly impossible without major surgery. The pacemaker lead extraction not only resolved the immediate, debilitating issue of the year-long fever but also eliminated a potential source of severe future infection that could have been life-threatening.
The case serves as a crucial reminder for patients with long-term implanted cardiac devices to seek expert consultation if they experience unexplained symptoms like persistent fever. The collaborative effort between Dr K Mukund and Dr Yajnik Mukund Kumble at Omega Hospital in Mangaluru stands as a testament to the growing expertise in interventional cardiology and electrophysiology within India's healthcare landscape, offering hope and sophisticated solutions for complex cardiac conditions.
