Department of Surgery

Cardiothoracic Surgery Section

There has been tremendous advancement in cardiac surgery over the last quarter century. New research and development has lead to innovations which are redefining cardiac surgery and this is directly contributing towards better treatment outcomes. Technological advancements have led to availability of more efficient heart-lung machines, improved heart valves, and smaller and more durable pacemakers, all of which have enormously contributed towards safety of cardiac surgery.

At Aga Khan University Hospital, all adult and paediatric cardiac operations, like coronary artery bypass surgery, surgery for failing hearts, valvular repair and replacements, aortic replacement for aneurysms and dissection, repair of ventricular and atrial septal defects, repair of Tetralogy of Fallot and right-heart bypass in univentricular hearts are routinely performed with success rates comparable to those in the advanced western centres. Coronary artery surgeries in cardiogenic shock or ongoing heart attacks and open heart surgeries in very small infants which are performed only at specialised centres in the developed countries are now being performed at Aga Khan University Hospital, with excellent results.

The section has performed a large number of complicated and complex heart operations on patients not only from Pakistan, but also from overseas. On an average over 1,000 cardiac surgeries/procedures are being performed annually and the outcomes speak of our excellent operative management and meticulous post-operative care. State-of-the-art facilities including dedicated operating rooms, coronary intensive care and step-down areas along with availability of well-trained and caring doctors and nurses make it the leading unit in Pakistan. The section has a team of four highly qualified and well-trained adult and one paediatric cardiac surgeons.

The thoracic surgery operations performed include Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS or key-hole surgery), lung resections, surgery for pleural diseases and chest wall.

Paediatric Cardiac Surgery programme

In Pakistan, 120,000 children are born with congenital heart disease each year. Almost ninety per cent of these children either die or else get diagnosed so late that even surgery is not able to help them. This is because Pakistan has only a limited number of trained paediatric cardiac surgeons who can perform the corrective cardiac surgery required by these patients, with the result that many parents of children with congenital heart disease who need open heart surgery are forced to travel outside Pakistan for corrective surgery.

Responding to the need for proper diagnosis and surgical management of congenital cardiac disorders, AKUH initiated a paediatric cardiac surgery programme in June 2006. The programme is the result of many months of planning and extensive international training of support staff. The programme was developed in collaboration with paediatric cardiac surgery programmes available at some of the leading Centres of the world.

With careful planning, commitment and specialised training of the entire team, including paediatric cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, anaesthetist, intensivist, perfusionist and nursing staff, the outcomes of surgeries performed so far have been excellent and comparable to international standards.

The following Paediatric Cardiac Surgery services are available at AKUH:

• Closed Heart Surgery for BT Shunt, PDA, Coarctation Repair, Pulmonary Artery Banding, Pericardial Window, Permanent Pacemaker Insertion, Coarctation repair and Pulmonary Artery Banding;
• Open Heart Surgery for ASD, VSD, Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) and Complete Repair of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage, Creation of Fontan Circulation and Arterial/Atrial Switch Operation.

Cardiothoracic Surgery Section Aga Khan University