Mangaluru: KMC Hospital successfully performed a rare and complex heart surgery on a 50-year-old man suffering from chronic calcific constrictive pericarditis, a condition that severely restricts heart function.The surgery, carried out in September 2025, involved a skilled multidisciplinary team and was one of the very few such procedures performed in the region. The patient, who experienced severe fatigue, breathlessness, and swelling of the lower limbs and abdomen for more than two years, was successfully treated and has now been discharged in a stable condition.The patient first consulted Dr Rajesh Bhat, consultant – interventional cardiologist, with severe breathlessness on minimal activity, unusual weight gain, and fatigue. At presentation, he weighed nearly 140kg due to fluid accumulation from cardiac failure. Investigations and a cardiac MRI revealed a severely calcified pericardium restricting heart movement. After stabilisation with diuretics, he was referred for surgery.A multidisciplinary team led by Dr Harish Raghavan, Dr Madhav Kamath, and Dr Iresh Shetty, consultant- cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, along with anaesthetists Dr Rammoorthy Rao and Dr Panchakshari Patil, performed a complex pericardiectomy. The procedure involved removing the thickened and heavily calcified pericardial sac that was tightly adherent to the heart, restoring its ability to pump effectively.Dr Harish Raghavan said, “Constrictive pericarditis is a potentially dangerous condition, which prevents the heart from filling and pumping effectively. Early diagnosis and timely surgery are key to ensuring a good outcome. This case was especially complex due to the extent of calcification.”Dr Rajesh Bhat said, “Such cases are extremely rare — I have seen only a few in my entire career. With strong clinical suspicion and precise imaging, we reached the correct diagnosis and carefully planned treatment. Following surgical excision, the patient improved significantly and is now being discharged.”Dr Sushanth Kumar, consultant nephrologist, added, “Kidney failure in this patient was because of the cardiac issue and correcting the cause was very crucial. Post-operatively, his kidney function too improved totally.”The patient was closely monitored in the ICU for six days before being shifted to the ward and was discharged 12 days after the surgery, in good health.
