Underwent quadruple heart bypasses at the National Heart Centre Singapore
Mr. Fida M. Kamal, a high-profile practising lawyer in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was a heavy smoker for many years before he quit in August 2009. The barrister-at-large of the Inner Temple (one of the four inns of court in the United Kingdom) in London and senior advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh used to smoke 30 sticks of cigarettes a day before he stubbed out for good. Soon after quitting, Mr. Kamal began to suffer from shortness of breath immediately after conducting hearings in court. He would feel weak after court hearings; his energy level crashed and his face would turn ashen.
As an experienced lawyer – he was the ex-Attorney General of Bangladesh from 2007 to 2008 – Mr. Kamal found it hard to accept his physical state. He began to lose confidence in himself and thought perhaps he was experiencing nicotine withdrawal symptoms. So he didn’t seek any medical help thinking he just needs more time to get used to not smoking.
One night, he woke up to find himself severely short of breath. That got him worried and he consulted doctors in Dhaka, who did a blood test and recommended that a coronary angiogram be done (see below). At the same time, Mr. Kamal remembered that his friend, who was Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Singapore, had undergone a balloon angioplasty (commonly known as stenting) in Singapore.
So Mr. Kamal decided to go to Singapore for his treatment too. He eventually picked the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS). “I was considering three hospitals at the time. I am so glad I picked the National Heart Centre Singapore. Doctors there are very skillful and efficient. They took time to explain my condition to me. The hospital staff is very friendly and caring”, said Mr. Kamal.
At the NHCS, Mr. Kamal met Dr. Lim Chong Hee, a senior consultant, who was in charge of his case. Through the angiogram results, Dr. Lim diagnosed that one of his blood vessels was almost completely blocked. Right away, Dr. Lim scheduled Mr. Kamal for an open-heart bypass surgery, an operation that uses blood vessels to bypass the blocked coronary artery so that blood can flow through the new vessels to the heart. Because of the severity of the blockage, Mr. Kamal needed quadruple heart bypasses, which were performed at the same time. Seven days after his operation, Mr. Kamal was able to leave the hospital and go home.
Back home in Dhaka where he lives with his wife, Mr. Kamal exercises whenever he can. He is now very careful about what he eats and avoids sweet and rich food. Mr. Kamal said, “I realised after my operation that I have to change my personal and work habits. I was working too hard and having irregular meals.” He now runs a private law practice in Dhaka, specialising in constitutional, civil, corporate and shipping cases.
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What is a coronary angiogram?
A coronary angiogram is an X-ray test that uses a special dye and camera (fluoroscopy) to take pictures of the blood flow in arteries near the heart. During an angiogram, a thin tube called a catheter is placed into a blood vessel in the groin or just above the elbow. Then an iodine dye (contrast material) is injected into the vessel so that the artery and the surrounding area show clearly on the X-ray pictures.
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What is an open-heart surgery?
Open-heart surgery involves operating on structures inside or on the surface of the heart. The surgery consists of exposing the heart through an incision in the sternum (chest bone). The patient is connected to a heart-lung machine, which acts as an artificial heart and lung so that the surgeon is able to stop the heart and operate in a relatively bloodless condition.
A newer type of surgery is minimally invasive heart surgery, or keyhole surgery. Minimally invasive surgery involves operating on the same structures in the heart via other approaches, by avoiding cutting the sternum or doing a partial cut on the sternum.
It uses smaller incisions than traditional heart surgery; the heart surgeon may also use a robotic arm to perform part of the surgery. While keyhole surgery reduces the trauma and recovery time for patients, it is currently not used to treat all heart conditions. Heart doctors will normally evaluate the benefits and risks of each type of surgery to recommend the best surgical option for patients.
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For more information about heart bypass and other heart treatments, log on to www.nhcs.com.sg.