SIMS Hospital Saves 65-Year-Old after 250 Cardiac Shocks following a High-Risk Redo-Bypass Surgery with Advanced Electrophysiological Intervention

Chennai, March 11, 2026: Doctors at SIMS Hospital successfully saved the life of a 65-year-old religious scholar who developed a life-threatening ventricular tachycardia (VT) storm following a complex redo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Over a five-day period, the patient required more than 250 electric shocks to control the dangerously abnormal heart rhythm before doctors stabilised him through an advanced ablation procedure performed both inside and outside the heart.

L-R: Dr. Raju Sivasamy, Vice President, Dr. V. V. Bashi, Director and Head of SIMS Institute of Cardiac & Aortic Disorders, Patient , Dr. Sanjai P. V, Clinical Lead – Cardiac Electrophysiology and Advanced Cardiac Pacing, SIMS Hospital, Chennai

The patient had earlier undergone bypass surgery in 2012 at another hospital. In recent months, he developed persistent chest pain and breathlessness. Tests, including coronary angiography, revealed severe blockages in multiple coronary arteries and failure of previous bypass grafts. Echocardiography also showed a significantly reduced heart pumping capacity of about 27%, along with a scarred and calcified bulge in the lower part of the heart.

Press meet Youtube Video link 👇 

Given the severity of the condition, a surgical team led by Dr. V. V. Bashi, Director and Head of the SIMS Institute of Cardiac & Aortic Disorders, performed a high-risk redo CABG to restore blood flow to the heart by creating new bypass pathways.

However, about 24 hours after surgery, the patient developed repeated episodes of ventricular tachycardia, a dangerous rapid heart rhythm originating from the lower chambers of the heart. The condition did not respond to medications or specialised nerve-blocking procedures, requiring repeated direct-current cardioversion shocks to restore normal rhythm. Over five days, the patient experienced a persistent VT storm, requiring nearly 50 shocks per day while under continuous monitoring in the intensive care unit.

An electrophysiology team led by Dr. P. V. Sanjai, Clinical Lead – Cardiac Electrophysiology and Advanced Cardiac Pacing, then performed an emergency ventricular tachycardia ablation procedure. Using advanced 3D mapping, doctors first targeted abnormal electrical circuits from inside the heart. When some signals were found to originate from the outer surface of the heart, the team adopted a minimally invasive hybrid approach using a small “keyhole” incision to deliver radiofrequency energy and eliminate the remaining arrhythmia sources.

Following the successful procedure, the patient remained hospitalised for nearly a month, including 15 days in the intensive care unit, and recovered without further VT episodes. He was later implanted with an Automated Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (AICD), a device that continuously monitors heart rhythm and automatically delivers a life-saving shock if a dangerous rhythm recurs.

Dr. Bashi noted that redo bypass surgery itself is highly complex, especially in patients with previous graft failure and severely weakened heart function. He added that in nearly 45 years of practice, this was the first time he had seen a patient require such a large number of defibrillator shocks over several days and still recover successfully.

Dr. Sanjai said the patient developed a rare and life-threatening VT storm originating from scarred areas within the left ventricle. Through advanced electro-physiological mapping and a combined endocardial-epicardial ablation approach, the team was able to identify and eliminate the abnormal electrical circuits responsible for the arrhythmia. The patient is currently doing well.

****