Ramakanta Panda

Dr. Ramakanta Panda
Born	Ramakanta Madanmohan Panda Damoduur, Jajpur district, Odisha, India
Nationality	Indian
Education	Bsc. Fellowship in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery M.Ch. in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
Alma mater	BJB College, Bhubaneswar SCB Medical College, Cuttack AIIMS, New Delhi, Cleveland Clinic, USA
Medical career
Profession	Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon
Institutions	Asian Heart Institute Asian Hospitals
Specialism	Cardiac Surgery Redo Bypass Surgery
Notable prizes	Padma Bhushan

Ramakanta Panda is the Chief Consultant for Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery and the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Asian Heart Institute, a speciality cardiac care hospital under the aegis of Asian Hospitals, at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, India. He set up the Asian Heart Institute in 2002. As of 2016, Dr.Panda has performed over 20,000 cardiac surgeries including over 1800 redo bypass surgeries and over 3000 high risk surgeries.^[1] He specialises in coronary artery bypass grafting using only arterial grafts over a beating heart, redo bypass surgery, valve repair and repairing complex aneurysms. Dr. Panda's 99.6% success rate in bypass surgery is widely recognized as a world-class standard.^[2] Dr Panda is also called 'one of the safest heart surgeons in the world'^[3] and 'the 'surgeon with the safest hands'.^[4] Medgate Today honored Dr.Panda as the No 1 heart surgeon and one of the 25 living legends in the healthcare of India.^[5]

Early life and education

Ramakanta Panda was born at Damodarpur village of Jajpur district.^[6] He studied for two years at BJB College and then went to SCB Medical College, Cuttack; he was the university topper in both places.^[7] He was topper at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he did his postgraduation in surgery and heart surgery between 1980 and 1985.^[8]

He completed his fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic, USA.^[9] He has also worked for one year as Sr. Registrar at the Harefield Hospital, in the United Kingdom, where he had the opportunity to train under Professor Magdi Yacoub, considered to be one of the world's most prolific cardiac surgeons and heart transplant specialists.^[10]

Professional experience

Dr. Ramakanta Panda is credited and recognized among his peers as one of the first in India to introduce "total arterial revascularization", as well as being one of the pioneers of "off-pump" bypass surgery,redo bypass surgery and high-risk surgeries.^[11] He is particular about bringing the latest medical advances to India. AHI was the very first hospital in Western India to employ the da Vinci Si Surgical System.

Breakthrough cases

AHI has outstanding results, one of the best in the world especially for high risk patients, achieved by adhering to a very strict patient care protocol, 24 hour monitoring of patients in ICU by senior doctors, one to one nursing care of critical patients, and a core team of highly experienced doctors & other professionals.

• Some of the rare cases operated at Asian Heart Institute led by a team of doctors under the leadership of Dr. Ramakanta Panda

1. Man survived 17 blocks in heart through a record number of 12 grafts -Mithalal Dhoka, a businessman from Yadagiri district of Karnataka, had 17 blockages in the various arteries of the heart. Dr Ramakanta Panda used a record number of 12 arterial grafts to restore blood flow -to fix Dhoka's heart.^[12]
2. A first-of- its -kind surgery performed at AHI -Dipesh Shah suffered from a major heart problem and doctors described his case as 'extremely rare' with a risk of developing permanent infections. But 39-year-old Shah's heart valve was successfully repaired without serious repercussions after a first-of-its-kind surgery.^[13]
3. 10-hour-long complicated heart surgery on a 76-year-old man-Jaswantrai Ajmera,with a very weak heart, underwent a 10-hour-long surgery that involved five bypass grafts and a valve replacement procedure.^[14]
4. 65-year-old's third bypass surgery at AHI-Having had two bypass surgeries already, 65-year-old Uma Charan Patra did not imagine that he would need yet another bypass surgery to keep his heart beating.^[15]
5. 6 heart procedures performed on Omani citizen undergoing 3rd time heart operation-After having had his heart cut open twice in two different countries, Alriyani was finally gifted a second lease of life by the doctors in the city who performed six procedures on him at a go.^[16]
6. Iraqi boy's rare heart surgery at AHI-A seven-year-old Iraqi boy underwent a successful open -heart surgery to fix a hole in his heart.^[17]
7. 6 hour surgery conducted to remove rare heart tumor and correct 3 blocks-62 year old not only suffered from three blockages but also had a tumor growing in his heart ^[18]
8. Giant bulge removed from aorta-18 hour surgery saved a 30-year-old with aneurysm of 8.5 cm diameter in artery.
9. 10 Bypass grafts give man fresh lease of life-10 bypass grafts created to bypass clogged arteries through an eight hour long procedure.^[19]
10. AHI cardiac surgeons use girl's own heart to fix her valve-13 year old was suffering from rheumatic heart, a condition in which the heart valves are damaged.^[20]
11. 67 year old undergoes five times valve replacement surgery-Dr. Ramakanta Panda performed 12 hour long surgery on Saraf who removed the valve that slipped inside her heart chambers.She had undergone 4 times heart operations in the past.^[21]

Notable surgeries performed

Dr. Panda has, in the last few years, performed a number of high-profile cardiac surgeries on members of the Indian government. In January 2009, Panda led the AHI team^[22] that operated on^[23] Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of India. This successful 'redo bypass', the second for Singh, further cemented Panda's reputation as India's leading cardiac surgeons ^[24] In 2009 Dr Panda also did a 5 arterial bypass on former parliamentary affairs minister, Mr Rajiv Shukla. In August 2010, Panda operated on Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of the north-eastern Indian state of Assam.^[25] In January 2014, Panda operated on D. Raja, a leader of the Communist Party of India ^[26] In June 2014 he operated on Odisha Congress leader and former minister Narasingha Mishra.^[27] In August 2014, Panda operated on Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex Railway Minister and a significant politician from the state of Bihar.^[28]

Panda has also performed many successful cardiac surrgeries that are widely recognised to have been extremely complex and challenging.^[29] The most recent one was on 56-year-old Omani citizen Qassin Nasser Sultan Alriyani, who was gifted a second lease of life when Dr Panda performed six life saving procedures at a go on his heart. After having had his heart cut open twice in two different countries, Alriyani was "finally literally snatched back from death by the cardiac surgeons at Asian Heart Institute (AHI), Mumbai."^[30] In 2016, Dr Panda successfully operated on Puspa Saraf who underwent a 5th time operation to replace the aortic valve and Ascending Aorta.^[31]

Contribution to the nation

Panda actively promotes a healthy lifestyle for India and his comments and counsel are widely sought after by the media. He also releases educational messages to the nation on various occasions.^{[32][33][34][35]} On World Heart Day he addressed the country and spoke on why taking statins, as efficacious as they can be, should not replace living healthily in the battle against heart disease.^[36][37] Asian Heart Institute is also the health partner of the prestigious Mumbai Marathon.^[38] AHI has been the Official Medical Partner for this event since its inception in 2004 and maintains First Aid stations and provides emergency medical services all along the 42 km route. A contingent of AHI patients always runs in the marathon, each one having undergone a bypass surgery at AHI.^[39] Many complete the entire marathon.^[40][41] AHI emergency medical services have always proved to be life-saving during this event. All of the AHI marathon runners are felicitated at the annual Braveheart Awards held by AHI.

Recognition

In January 2010, Ramakanta Panda was awarded the Padma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award in India by Pratibha Patil, the President of India. Dr. Panda has also been conferred with Degree of Doctorate in Science (Honorius Causa) from Utkal University, Orissa and Utkal Ratna by Oriya Sahitya Samaj ^[42][11] The Central Board of Taxes, Government of India, has awarded him the prestigious Rashtriya Samman Patra twice, for being one of the highest taxpayers in India.^[9][4] He was nominated to the AIIMS governing body.^[43]

References