MAYWOOD, IL — In a significant breakthrough in cardiac care, Dr. Chirantan Mangukia of Loyola Medicine has successfully performed a minimally invasive triple vessel coronary artery bypass surgery. This procedure was carried out on a patient suffering from severe coronary artery disease, whose father had a difficult recovery from a traditional surgery years prior.
Nationwide, fewer than one percent of coronary bypass surgeries utilize a minimally invasive technique, making Loyola University Medical Center one of the few hospitals in the Chicagoland area to offer this advanced surgical option.
Gary Ratkiewicz faced a serious health risk due to coronary artery disease, which included a critical 90% blockage in his main artery and two additional blockages. He had concerns about undergoing traditional surgery, influenced by his father’s tough experience with an open procedure.
“I watched my father go through traditional coronary artery bypass surgery and saw how it negatively impacted his life,” Ratkiewicz said. “He had complications and it took him over a year to recover. I was determined not to go through that; I didn’t want to be a burden to my family.”
Seeking alternatives, Ratkiewicz found Loyola Medicine. “I emailed Dr. Mangukia, and within 30 minutes, he replied,” he recalled. “Two days later, I had an appointment, and just three days after that, I was scheduled for the procedure.”
Dr. Mangukia assessed that Ratkiewicz, due to his active lifestyle and overall good health, was a suitable candidate for a small incision bypass. Unlike the traditional approach, which requires a 15 to 20-centimeter incision down the sternum, this innovative surgery only needed a small seven to eight-centimeter incision on the left side of the chest. This method significantly shortens recovery times and reduces both physical and emotional stress for the patient. While traditional bypass surgery often takes six to eight weeks for full recovery, this technique allows for a quicker healing process.
“In the United States, heart attacks are a leading cause of death,” Dr. Mangukia noted. “Coronary artery bypass surgery can add many years to patients’ lives.”
Ratkiewicz’s recovery was remarkable. Less than 24 hours after his surgery, he was jogging in the cardiac intensive care unit.
He was discharged after just three days and managed to walk two miles that same week. His recovery was so impressive that his friends couldn’t believe he had heart surgery.
“He didn’t just save my life. He gave me back a high-quality life,” Ratkiewicz stated. “I’ve spoken to others who underwent invasive procedures and lost quality of life. I not only regained full quality of life, but my life is better now than it was before.”
Loyola Medicine is among the pioneering hospitals offering this procedure in the Chicagoland area. Its heart and vascular program, one of the oldest in Illinois, consistently achieves better patient outcomes than the national average. Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) remains a crucial and common heart surgery, and Loyola is committed to refining and enhancing its techniques, promising faster and less invasive treatments for patients throughout the region.
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