Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital saves 83-year-old man with severe heart attack
The 83-year-old man was admitted to the hospital in a condition of difficulty breathing, progressively worsening acute heart failure with acute pulmonary edema due to severe double‑leaf valve regurgitation after an acute myocardial infarction, and was saved thanks to a personalized treatment approach.
On March 27, information from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital reported that the hospital had successfully treated the 83-year-old man with severe heart disease.
Previously, the patient was admitted in a state of severe dyspnea, progressively worsening acute heart failure accompanied by acute pulmonary edema due to severe double‑leaf valve regurgitation after an acute myocardial infarction. In addition to the heart disease, there was also a cerebral infarction issue, presenting many challenges to the treatment process.
However, thanks to a personalized treatment method combining internal medicine, surgery, and intensive anesthesia care, the patient made a spectacular recovery, opening new hope for elderly individuals with cardiovascular disease.
Immediately upon admission, the patient underwent a comprehensive assessment to determine the severity of the disease. Doppler cardiac ultrasound showed severe mitral valve regurgitation due to chordae tendineae rupture, causing backward blood flow, overloading the heart, leading to pulmonary congestion, pleural effusion, and acute pulmonary edema. Additionally, laboratory results also indicated signs of severe heart failure with elevated test indices, brain MRI images showing areas of cerebral infarction, and coronary angiography revealing severely narrowed coronary arteries causing myocardial ischemia. These factors placed the patient in a high-risk group for surgery, requiring an optimal treatment strategy to ensure safety.
After a multidisciplinary consultation at the hospital, the physicians decided to implement an aggressive medical therapy prior to surgery to control heart failure, optimize renal and respiratory function, and improve the patient's overall condition. Medical management helps reduce the risk of surgical complications and improves postoperative recovery.
Prof. Dr. Cao Đằng Khang - Head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, is performing surgery on an 83-year-old man suffering a severe heart attack.
When the patient's condition stabilized, the cardiovascular surgery team proceeded to replace the bi-leaflet biological valve and perform coronary artery bypass grafting. Choosing a biological valve reduces the risk associated with anticoagulant medication, which is suitable for elderly patients. At the same time, the coronary artery bypass procedure improves blood flow to the heart muscle, reducing the risk of future heart attacks.
Prof. Dr. Cao Đằng Khang – Head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, said: “Elderly patients often have multiple comorbidities, so it is important to develop an appropriate treatment strategy, optimize the patient's condition before surgery, and choose the safest surgical approach. Combining preoperative medical treatment with optimized surgery and intensive care anesthesia has allowed the patient to successfully undergo the operation.”
After the operation, with careful preparation of cardiovascular anesthesia and intensive care, the patient recovered quickly. Only two days after surgery, the patient could sit up, walk gently and resume normal activities. The shortness of breath completely disappeared, heart function improved markedly. Post‑operative echocardiography showed the mitral valve functioning well, with no longer any regurgitation. Especially, kidney function and respiratory function were restored, with no signs of acute renal failure or respiratory failure, pneumonia – common complications in elderly patients after heart surgery.
Sharing about her father's treatment journey, Ms. L.T.T.T. – the patient's daughter, who is also a cardiologist, could not hide her joy: “At first our family was very worried because my father is old and has many underlying diseases. But thanks to the dedication of the doctors and the appropriate treatment method, he recovered beyond expectations. He even wants to ride his motorbike himself to the hospital for a follow‑up because he feels so healthy!”
The success of this surgery continues to reaffirm the important role of personalized treatment in the field of cardiology. Instead of applying a generic protocol, providing a treatment plan tailored to each patient's specific condition has helped optimize outcomes and minimize risks. This is also the direction that the Cardiology Center of the University Medical Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City consistently emphasizes to achieve the highest treatment efficacy, especially for high‑risk patients.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Cao Dang Khang, cardiac surgery is no longer an impossible feat for elderly patients as it once was. With advances in cardiac surgery and intensive care anesthesia, combined with modern medical treatment methods, patients with complex cardiac conditions who require surgery now have the opportunity to recover and significantly improve their quality of life.
The success of this case not only saves a life but also opens opportunities for many other patients. Aging hearts, seemingly weakened over the years, can still be revived if the proper and timely treatment method is applied.