65-year-old man treated for severe heart rhythm disorder after repeat bypass surgery

A 65-year-old manreligious scholar was treated at SIMS Hospital after he developed ventricular tachycardia (VT) storm, repeated episodes of dangerously fast heart rhythm, following a repeat coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Over five days, he required more than 250 defibrillator shocks to restore normal heart rhythm.

The patient, who had undergone bypass surgery at another hospital in 2012, presented with chest pain and breathlessness. Tests, including coronary angiography, showed multiple critical blockages and failure of the earlier grafts. Echocardiography showed that his heart’s pumping function had dropped to 27%, along with a scarred and calcified area in the lower part of the heart.

A repeat CABG was performed by a team led by V.V. Bashi, Director and Head of the SIMS Institute of Cardiac and Aortic Disorders, to restore blood flow. About 24 hours after surgery, the patient developed repeated ventricular tachycardia that did not respond to medicines, and required around 50 electric shocks a day, for five days, while in the intensive care unit (ICU).

An electrophysiology team led by Sanjai P.V. later performed an endo-epicardial catheter ablation to locate and eliminate the abnormal electrical signals causing the arrhythmia. A month later, an Automated Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator was implanted to manage possible future arrhythmias. He is currently under follow-up care.