Lagoon Hospital, Apapa performs first Open-Heart Surgery in a private hospital

In another pioneering move by Lagoon Hospitals, a 59-year old Professional successfully had a quadruple  vessel Coronary Artery  Bypass Surgery on Friday 25^th July 2014.  The 3-hour operation was performed at the ultra-modern operating theatre suites by the Cardiac Surgery Group led by Dr Bode Falase, Visiting Cardiac Surgeon at Lagoon Hospital and Dr OC Nzewi, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, UK.  They were supported by cardiac anaesthetists,  perfusionists, physiologists and operating theatre nurses.
There is an increasing incidence of coronary artery disease in Nigeria.  The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart.  Partial blockage to these vessels result in chest pain (angina) and complete blockage may lead to heart attacks.  Treatment could either be with unblocking of the arteries using Cardiac Catheterization and stent insertion or in advanced cases Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.
Speaking on this landmark occasion, the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Major Ganesh Kale (Rtd), said “As the leading private hospital in Nigeria, we are committed to providing excellent care for our patients and would continue to ensure that complex operations like Open Heart Surgery, major joint replacements and minimal access surgery are available in Nigeria so that Nigerians do not need to travel abroad for these procedures”.
Also commenting on the successful commencement of open-heart surgery, the Group Clinical Adviser and Chief of Surgery, Dr Jimi Coker, stated that “Most of the open heart surgeries performed previously were done as part of cardiac missions with the whole team of health professionals flown in from abroad to do this.  At Lagoon Hospital, we performed this with a team of resident medical personnel except for one of the cardiac surgeons.  This would ensure that the program is sustainable”.
The leader of the Cardiac Surgery Group, Dr Bode Falase, thanked Lagoon hospitals for the opportunity to start this open-heart surgery programme. He emphasised that Open Heart Surgery requires a combination of both skilled Professionals as well as the right support and enabling environment which Lagoon Hospital has provided. The surgery and the care the patient received was therefore the same as would obtain in any other top health care facility abroad, making Lagoon Hospital a viable alternative to travelling abroad for the same Open Heart Surgery.
Lagoon Hospitals group is the 1^st Hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa to earn accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI), an international endorser for excellence in clinical practices in patient care and safety.   The JCI seal at Lagoon Hospitals is a testimony of its commitment to Quality and Patient safety, which is achieved after an extended rigorous survey process by JCI (USA).
Lagoon Hospitals group is part of the Hygeia group, Nigeria’s foremost private integrated healthcare services provider, which also include Hygeia HMO, Hygeia Community Health Care, and Hygeia Foundation.  Lagoon Hospitals provide a range of primary to tertiary healthcare services across the five sites: Lagoon Hospital Apapa, Lagoon Hospital Awolowo Way Ikeja, Lagoon Clinic Adeniyi Jones Ikeja, Lagoon Specialist Suites and Lagoon Hospital Victoria Island.