72-year-old Bangladeshi woman cured by 11-hour dual surgery with robotic assistance

New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) A 72-year-old woman from Bangladesh, who was suffering from severe cardiac complications and advanced stage 3 breast cancer, was treated with an 11-hour procedure involving a robot-assisted heart bypass surgery performed here.

Jahanara Beggum was admitted to Fortis Escorts Hospital in Okhla with severe fatigue, breathlessness and a bleeding, infected wound on her right breast.

Medical evaluation revealed critical blockages in three major heart arteries and an ulcerated, bleeding breast tumour, according to a statement from the hospital.

Faced with both life-threatening conditions, the medical team opted for a combined surgical intervention, said Dr Ritwick Raj Bhuyan, Director of Adult Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Fortis Escorts.

"We chose robot-assisted surgery, which allowed us to perform the heart bypass operation through small chest incisions rather than traditional open-heart surgery, minimising trauma and speeding recovery," he added.

Following the cardiac procedure, without changing the surgical field, the oncology team led by Dr Archit Pandit and Dr Vineet Goel removed the cancerous breast tissue and nearby lymph nodes.

"Her cancer had reached a critical stage and was bleeding continuously. However, her heart condition made standalone cancer surgery impossible," said Dr Pandit, Director of Surgical Oncology.

The procedure, which lasted around 11 hours, involved performing a coronary artery bypass grafting followed by a modified radical mastectomy in a single surgical session, and was conducted on May 12.

The doctors said the patient was discharged in stable condition after 12 days of recovery. PTI NSM NSM RUK RUK