Media Release

Mangaluru, Jun 16: A 38-year-old patient from the African state of Cameroon underwent a successful aortic valve replacement surgery at K S Hegde Hospital, Deralakatte in Mangaluru. She had been suffering from aortic valve disease for a long time and sought assistance for this surgery in India.

She belonged to the Jehovah's Witness faith, and as one of their core beliefs is not to accept blood transfusions at any cost, she was turned away by many hospitals. She eventually approached the Jehovah's Witness coordinator in India, who referred her to Dr A G Jayakrishnan, cardiothoracic surgeon at K S Hegde Hospital. Dr Jayakrishnan has successfully conducted several heart surgeries without the use of donor blood in the past.

The surgery was conducted by a medical team at K S Hegde Hospital led by Dr A G Jayakrishnan. The team included anesthetists Dr Manjunath Kamath and Dr Chethan Kumar from the department of anaesthesiology, and cardiac surgeons Dr Nareshchand Hegde and Dr Anup Srinivasan from the cardiothoracic department, along with perfusionists and a dedicated team of nurses.

Dr Sandeep Rai, dean of K S Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA), and Dr Sumalatha Shetty, medical superintendent of Justice K S Hegde Charitable Hospital, were also present.

The patient is recovering well and has been discharged. She is expected to return to Cameroon in the coming days.