Lemon-Sized Heart Tumour Removed Without Open-Heart Surgery in 74-Year-Old Mumbai Patient

Mumbai: A 74-year-old man from Mumbai, initially undergoing a routine ECG, was found to have a lemon-sized tumour inside his heart along with severe artery blockage. Doctors at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital managed the complex case using Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS), removing the tumour and restoring blood flow to the heart in a single procedure.

The patient was diagnosed with a left atrial myxoma, a non-cancerous tumour located in the upper left chamber of the heart, during a follow-up echocardiogram. Dr. Siddharth Sheth, Senior Cardiologist at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, who was treating the patient, said the tumour was occupying nearly 90 percent of the left atrium.

Further tests revealed an 85 to 90 percent blockage in the right coronary artery. The situation was complicated by the patient’s long-standing uncontrolled diabetes, increasing the risk associated with conventional open-heart surgery.

“Left atrial myxomas are rare because primary heart tumours are extremely uncommon in the general population,” said Dr. Sheth. “The heart’s muscular structure and low cell activity make it an unlikely place for tumours to form. Given his age and pre-existing health condition like uncontrolled diabetes, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS) was opted for instead of the conventional approach involving a 15 to 20 centimetre incision and sternotomy (cutting through the breastbone).”

The surgery was performed by Dr. Chandrashekhar Kulkarni, Director and Head of CVTS and Heart and Lung Transplant at the hospital.

He explained, “This was one of the city’s first surgeries where a heart tumour and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting were performed simultaneously with a minimally invasive approach. MICS, a modern technique, helped us access the heart through a small 5 to 6 centimetre incision on the right side of the chest. This helped us avoid major bone cuts or rib separation, significantly reducing pain, blood loss, and risk of infection. In a single surgery, we removed the heart tumour by accessing both the left and right upper chambers of the heart. At the same time, we restored blood flow to the heart, bypassing the blocked artery using a healthy blood vessel from inside the chest.”

The patient recovered well after the procedure. He was able to sit up and walk within a few days and was discharged on the sixth day after surgery.