A Tale of 3 Generations Connected By Heart Surgery

Armed Forces men hate to be tied down

Ludhiana,5th March, 2014: (Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria):

Wg Cdr (Retd) HS Bhullar was in a bit of a worry. He had suffered a heart attack and his tests showed that he had severe heart disease with a risk of a further heart attack. He came to DrHarinder Singh Bedi , Head of Cardio Vascular, Thoracic and Endovascular Surgery, CMC College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. And that started a chain of events.

In DrBedi’s words – “Cdr Bhullar walked into my Clinic – ramrod straight – a dignified elderly fit man. I knew immediately that he was from the Armed Forces–you can retire a man from the Armed Forces but you cannot take the Armed Forces culture out of the man. “Doc–I need bypass surgery“he said in a no nonsense way. I went through his records. He had suffered a major heart attack and his angiogram showed critical blocks. His heart functioning was labored. He was a retired Wing Commander (WgCdr) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). “Just fix me up good“– was all he said. No questions about risks, complications etc. His wife–a graceful lady–maintained a brave stoicfront too–though I could make out that she was very worried.”

Cdr Bhullar successfully underwent a bypass surgery .The surgery went well. His heart bounced back to normal. He was ‘fast tracked’ in the ICU. Armed Forces men hate to be tied down. Action and discipline is in their blood. These qualities stay for life – thank God for that!  By Day 1 – he was sitting in a chair reading the paper. Day 2 – he combed his hair and tidied himself up. He had to look smart to the nurses – you see! He went home on the 6th day.

On his 1st post op visit he was smartly turned out (Pic 1). “I tied my turban myself” – he proudly told Dr. Bedi. All systems were good. In Dr.Bedi’s office his eyes alighted on Dr.Bedi’sfather’s (Major retd KMS Bedi) photo (Pic 2). CdrBhullar recollected that he had flown him in his Dakota with a bunch of paratroopers in Dec 1971. Armed forces men (i e Army, Air Force, Navy) have an unwritten code of mutual respect for each other. CdrBhullar was referring to the war of liberation of Bangladesh. Dr.Bedi also recollected that he was in school then in Dehradun and that somehow all children found it fun although he knew that his dad was in the thick of battle. There was curfew in Dehradun, the children dug trenches in school, had mock drills, and had total enforced blackout at night while preparing for final school exams in candle light.

Major (retd) KMS Bediwas a paratrooper (a.k.a – the red devils – because of their maroon turbans / berets) in the SFF of India (the then secret and decorated Establishment 22) and had been parachuted behind enemy lines in Chittagong with his men. They were part of the brave effort by the Indian Army and MuktiBahini in getting the Pakistani forces to surrender. Anyway the WgCdr (then Flt Lt) flew the DC3 popularly called the Dakota which was used in the 1971 war. As per his memory – it was a twin prop piston engine aircraft which could seat 28 fully armed paratroopers. It had a cruising speed of 150 Mph and range of over 1000 miles. Thus it could fly nonstop from Delhi to Bombay! CdrBhullar said that he remembered the sortie where he dropped Major Bediand his troops. Both the Armed Forces men (separated by 25 years in age) waxed nostalgically about the war days.

DrBedi remarked that it was the nice coincidence of heart surgery which had brought these 3 generations together . The other members of the Heart Team involved in the surgery are Dr S Garg, Dr A Joseph, Dr Jedidiah, Dr P Jain, DrArlin, DrAnjali ,DrJesina , Mr William Prem and MrJairus .

DrAbrahan G Thomas – Director of CMC & H – reiterated the commitment of the CMC to serve the Armed Forces who have done so much for safeguarding the integrity of our Country.

A Tale of 3 Generations Connected By Heart Surgery

Brain injury: innovative ‘CMC-BEDI Turban’ Design

Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 1:41 PM
Design helps in saving critical patient

Mrs Kuljeet Kaur (name changed) of Sarabha Nagar Ludhiana suffered from a rare disease – a massive swelling (aneurysm) of the arteries in the neck going to her brain and right hand. She had previously suffered a brain attack (stroke). She was now in imminent danger of rupture of the swollen arteries.

She was referred to Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardio Vascular & Thoracic Surgery at the CMC & H Ludhiana. On investigation it was realized that the treatment itself could cause a stroke as the repair of the artery would need a 5 minute time of clamping which would not have been tolerated as the brain was already in jeopardy.  Dr Bedi has trained in advanced cardiovascular techniques at the St Vincents Hospital in Sydney where he has operated upon cases with cooling of the whole body (hypothermia) to preserve organ function. It is a well known fact that any injury is better tolerated if the temperature of the injured organ is lowered. But here the problem was unique as the patient was elderly and the whole body cooling would not have been tolerated. So Dr Bedi then thought of cooling just the brain. He designed a unique cooling turban. This was constructed by Dr Melchi – cardiac anesthetist - and Mr William, Mr Jairus (who are the senior most perfusionists in Punjab) and Mr Mathew. Using their vast experience they were able to put the idea into practice. They made a turban like coil with plastic tubes. These were placed around the patients head after anesthesia. Now cold sterile water was pumped into these coils so that the head alone got cooled. The surgery was now done with the brain temperature low. Additionally Dr Bedi reimplanted a major vessel of the brain – the vertebral artery - so that as much blood as possible was given to the brain – this is a specially tricky and challenging part of the operation and is done very rarely. Mrs   Kaur did well and her brain function was preserved. The other members of the team during the marathon surgery were Dr S Garg, Dr Melchi, Dr Anish, Dr JaiPrakash, Dr Pearl , Dr Amrutha and Dr Rakhi   .

Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H - said that it was with such innovations that Indian surgeons were able to tackle otherwise hopeless cases. Dr Bedi said that they would patent the technique and publish it so that it could be used all over the world to help similar cases.



Dr Bedi can be contacted at 98140-60480 for any clarification

Photo: Dr Harinder Singh  Bedi along with Mr William Prem showing the ‘CMC-Bedi cool turban’  which helped save a patients brain

Another child gets new lease of life at CMC

Cherubic Child With Heart Disease from the valley

Ludhiana, 17th June, 2013:(Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria):Mr Mohd Hanif and Mrs Noorbano of Srinagar are extremely happy parents today. Their lovely angelic child – Baby Rakina – aged 2 years was suffering form a major heart defect (large hole in the heart) which was damaging her heart and lungs. Rakina was not growing according to their age and would get recurrent infections. She would land up in the emergency room of the hospital in J & K time and again. The parents were told that Rakina needed an early heart surgery. However Mohd Hanif – a labourer was unable to collect the money required. He was then were referred to Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardiac Surgery at the CMC & H Ludhiana. On investigation it was realized that only a major open heart surgery could save Rakina as her heart was close to its terminal condition. Dr Bedi who has had advanced training in the treatment of such cases at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Australia said that if untreated the lungs of such children get damaged beyond repair . In co-ordination with the Director – Dr Abraham G Thomas and Dr Jugesh Chattwal Prof and Head Paediatrics – it was decided to perform the high risk case under the Gift of Life scheme funded by the CMC Alumni USA and the UMSF USA.

A major heart surgery was done wherein Rakina’s body was placed on a heart lung machine, the heart stopped and put on ice and the hole in the heart repaired. Dr Bedi said that there were some tense moments when the heart lung machine was stopped. However by Gods grace – Rakina’s heart recovered immediately. Dr Chattwal said that Rakina’s heart is now normal and she can now lead a normal healthy life. The other members of the team during the marathon surgery were Dr S Garg, Dr Melchi, Dr Allen, Dr Anish,Dr Aradhana, Dr Shipra and Dr Neethu  . The delicate control of the heart lung machine was done by Mr William and Mr Jairus.

Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC said that the Institute is fully geared to take care of such children with heart defects. Dr Bedi told that it was only because of the strong backup of the CMC faculty and infrastructure that most of the heart defects could be safely treated in CMC.

And now artificial Ribs created at CMC

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 12:12 PM
Reconstruction: the chest of brave-heart boy 

A beaming Master Shubham after surgery  with Dr HS Bedi and the cardiac team. Shubham is holding a sample of the steel rib placed in his chest

Mr Dev Sharan and Mr Amresh Singh of Jamalpur were in  a very difficult situation. The son of Mr Dev (and nephew of Mr Amresh) – a 13 year old bright young boy – Master Shubham Singh – was suffering from a cancer of the chest wall . The cancer – called Ewing’s sarcoma – was eating into his ribs and had a risk of spreading all over his body. He was referred to Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgery - at the prestigious Christian Medical College and Hospital , Ludhiana.   Dr Bedi  has trained at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney where he has seen cases of cancer in children deteriorating rapidly if timely surgery is not done . 

Under the expert supervision of  the Medical Oncolgy Head – Dr Kunal Jain – chemotherapy was first given and then a marathon surgery planned  . According to Dr Bedi – the surgery would require a total removal of all affected parts which would lead to a large defect in the chest wall . The ribs are the major supports of the chest wall and protect the lungs from damage .  A plan was made to design artificial ribs tailored to Shubham’s anatomy. A detailed design was made and with the help of Mr Rajinder Singh of the maintenance department of CMC & H - ribs of special medical grade stainless steel were made . Dr Bedi explained that the steel is the same one as used in orthopedic implants and is fully compatible with the human body . At surgery after removal of all affected ribs – the steel ribs were fixed in position . This design worked superbly - the ribs  gave a good support to the lungs and Shubham has made a remarkable recovery with full function of his lungs . Dr Bedi said that Shubham took inspiration from the cricketer Mr Yuvraj Singh .  Shubham is a bright young man , is good in his studies and he wants to study and become a doctor .

The other members of the cardiac team involved in this marathon surgery were  Dr A Joseph , Dr S Garg, Dr Melchi, Dr Anish , Dr Anuj, Dr Elizabeth, Dr Gurleen and Dr Ashwin.

Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H  – emphasised that complex surgeries are being done successfully even on small children at CMC. This is possible because of the excellent infrastructure and faculty of CMC . He said that CMC is committed to bring International level cardiac care to the doorsteps of the people of this region.--Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria

...And his 20 year old son got a new life

CMC Heart surgeons breathe life into hopeless case 

In a happy mood Ramandeep with Dr Harinder Singh Bedi and faculty of CTVS department of CMC & H

Ludhiana, 11th August, 2012: (Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria):
Mr Ramandeep Singh - the 20 year old son of Mr Sohan Singh of Ludhiana   - had a massive accident while driving a scooter. A large piece of bamboo fence went through into his body from his left neck into his right chest. He was transferred to the Christian Medical College and Hospital from a local hospital. Here he was seen by Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardio Vascular & Thoracic Surgery. Mr Ramandeep was in shock and very unstable. He had lost about 3 litres of blood in his right chest and was not able to breathe. He was taken for emergency surgery. The bleeding was found to be a torrential one which could not be adequately controlled because the right lung was solidified due to the injury and was interfering with the exposure. So a rapid decision was made to stop the lungs by putting the patient on a special heart lung machine. Dr Bedi explained that in this rarest of rare cases the only option was to stop the lungs and the only way to do this was to use a sophisticated heart lung machine which takes over the function of the lungs (the machine has a special area through which oxygen is pumped in and purifies the blood just as a normal lung would). The massive bleeder was identified as a complete transection of the origin of the subclavian artery. The torrential blood coming out of this tear was pumped back into the patient. The tear was now controlled and an imported graft used to restore continuity so that the right hand of   would be saved.
Even after the surgery the right lung continued to be non functional due to the massive trauma. So a special method of ventilation called independent lung ventilation was carried out. Here the left and right lungs were separately ventilated with 2 machines, made a slow but complete recovery.
The intricate respiratory care was done under the supervision of the cardiac anesthetists Dr S Garg and Dr Melchi. The other members of the team are Dr A Joseph, Dr Anish Verghese, Dr Pratap, Dr Meenu, Dr Ashwin, and Dr Nina. The heart lung machine was handled by Mr Jairus Wilson and Mr William Prem Sagar aided by Mr Mathew.
Dr AG Thomas – Director of CMC & H – said that it was the quick thinking on the part of the surgical team which was instrumental in saving Ramandeep   . He reiterated the commitment of the CMC & H to serve the people of the community with the highest level of care and expertise.

A new success by Dr. H S Bedi at CMC Ludhiana

Rare major open heart surgery saves  a new life
Ludhiana, 16th July, 2012 (Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria)

Mr Vikas Masih – a   35 year old teacher – was in a very serious condition. He had developed a large blood clot in his lungs – a condition called massive pulmonary embolism – due to which he was not able to breathe. He was referred to Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardio Vascular Endovascular & Thoracic Surgery at the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana. On examination and investigation Dr Bedi realized that Mr Vikas was in imminent danger of death as his oxygen levels were dangerously low. This was damaging his brain and kidneys.
He had already been put on maximal medical therapy including the latest blood thinners at another hospital – but they did not work. The only option to save his life now was a major and rare open heart surgery called pulmonary thrombo-endarterectomy. Dr Bedi said that the surgery is done on a heart lung machine but additionally for a short period of time the circulation even through the heart lung machine has to be stopped. This is called circulatory arrest and is like totally stopping the heart and the lungs - both the natural and artificial ones.
Dr Bedi explained that this is because otherwise the blockage in the lungs cannot be seen clearly. During the tense 10 minutes while the patient was ‘clinically dead’ - on no circulation at all – his lungs were totally cleared of all the deadly clot. Dr Bedi is a pioneer in this field and in fact has trained in this rare surgery at the St Vincents Hospital in Sydney. However this was a very challenging case as Vikas is very young and this extent of disease was unexpected.
The other members of the Heart team are Dr A Joseph, Dr Sheetal Garg, Dr Melchi, Dr Paul, Dr Reenus ,  Dr Dinesh, Dr Pratap, Dr William, Dr Pearl,  Dr Savan, Dr Meenu, DR Nina and Dr Ashwin  . The heart lung machine was manned by Mr Jairus and Mr William – who are the senior most perfusionists of Punjab – along with Mr Mathew.
Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H – said that the CMC was committed to bringing the latest technology to Punjab so that the people of this area were given the best possible therapy.   A new success by Dr. H S Bedi at CMC Ludhiana