Coronary Artery Fistula (CAF), a rare and potentially dangerous cardiac ailment that affects only 0.02% of the general population, was successfully treated in a 56-year-old Diamond Harbour woman. The procedure was finished in 2.5 hours by the skilled team under the direction of Dr. Kaushik Mukherjee, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Manipal Hospital, Dhakuria.

The patient, a homemaker, had chest pain and palpitations during routine housework, making it difficult for her to breathe. Standard ECG and ECHO Doppler tests were unable to provide a diagnosis. A specialist angiogram and a comprehensive heart scan (CT coronary angiography) of Mrs. Geeta (name changed) revealed an unusual and complex issue. The patient’s coronary arteries had two aberrant connections.

One was draining into the main pulmonary artery that led to her lungs from the left main coronary artery of the heart. The second came from the right coronary artery’s little branch.  joining the lung artery as well. These additional, aberrant connections were causing the blood to flow abnormally. As a result, the heart had to work harder, pump less forcefully, and the symptoms got worse.

Nearly 50% of people experience symptoms in maturity, even though many remain asymptomatic in early childhood. Breathlessness, chest pain, unstable angina, and, in rare instances, a heart attack, can result from coronary steal syndrome, a disorder that reduces the blood supply to the heart muscle.

Dr. Kaushik Mukherjee, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, said, “Mrs. Geeta and her sole kid arrived at the hospital. They were both terrified and extremely nervous about her health. Our staff gave her advice and acted right away to improve her condition. We used a tiny patch fashioned from the patient’s own pericardium, the natural covering of the heart, to seal the aberrant connection. To halt the undesired blood flow, we also securely cut off the right coronary artery’s tiny arterial branch. The day after surgery, she was taken off of mechanical ventilation”.

She recovered without incident, returned home after just four days, and is anticipated to lead a normal, healthy life free from increased cardiac risk.

Priyanka Dutta