Rahul Kaiche became first cardiac surgeon in Maharashtra to use titanium plates for coronary surgery

Dr Rahul Kaiche on 17 February 2015 became first cardiac surgeon in Maharashtra and second surgeon in India to use titanium plates for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery. He is a cardiac surgeon at Wockhardt hospital in Nashik.

He used the titanium plates instead of the traditionally used wires for sternal closure in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery. The surgery was performed at the charitable Saibaba hospital in Shirdi.

He used the innovative technique of using titanium plates for closing the mamory sternum bone on a 64 years patient Bashir Sayyed Noor. For this, he used 2 H shaped and one U shaped titanium plates fitted with titanium screws.

Advantages of titanium plates in sternal closure

• This modern technology already in use in the USA was introduced in India since the past three months. The technology has numerous advantages over traditional method.
• The H shaped titanium plates sustain the pressure due to coughing or weight of the patient in a better manner over the traditionally used wires.
• Titanium plates give more stability to chest bone as compared to routine wires or bands.
• The incidence of sternal infection is also reduced with this technique.
• Also the titanium plates are Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) friendly and the patient can undergo an MRI if needed, a limitation in case of steel wires.