Monday, January 27, 2025

Cardiac surgeon who performed India’s first coronary bypass surgery passes away


Cardiac surgeon who performed India’s first coronary bypass surgery passes away


The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI

Dr. K.M. Cherian (1942 - 2025)

India’s pre-eminent cardiac surgeon K.M. Cherian, who performed India’s first coronary bypass surgery, died in Bengaluru on Saturday. He was 82.

His son, Sanjay Cherian, shared a note that said, “It is with profound grief that I inform you all that my beloved father, Dr. K.M. Cherian, passed away around 11:55 p.m. last night [January 25]. Dad and I had attended a wedding reception in Bengaluru and as we were leaving, he collapsed...” He also said that Dr. Cherian was rushed to Manipal Hospital where he was declared dead. The funeral will be held on January 30.

Only a couple of days ago was his autobiography, Just an Instrument, launched at the Kerala Literature Festival.

Born on March 8, 1942, in Kerala, Dr. Cherian worked for over 50 years in the field of cardiology, training under world-renowned leaders in the field. He was also credited with performing the first heart-lung transplant in India, the second cardiac transplant, and strangely, for a profession where people stick to their chosen specialisation, was also a pioneer in paediatric cardiac surgery. He set up Frontier Lifeline Hospital in Chennai and Frontier Mediville, a large medical science park on the outskirts of the city, to help spur research into indigenous cardiac valves and other technologies.

During the book launch in Kerala, Dr. Cherian said each surgeon should consider the patient part of his own family. Some of the experiences he shared on the occasion include how he performed heart surgeries on 20 Iraqi children and how he played the diplomat in the release of four Indian drivers who were imprisoned in Iraq. He went on to explain his association with Mother Teresa, upon whose request he performed a surgery on a poor boy in Kolkata at minimal cost.

After having completed his medical education in Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, he went on to teach in Christian Medical College, Vellore, before heading out to the far shores of Australia and New Zealand to train further in cardiac surgery. He chose to come back to India to serve the people and the country. In the 50-plus years he served in the field, he also had a term as honorary cardiac surgeon to the President and worked extensively with patients who came from foreign nations for treatment, and was awarded the Padma Shri.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post in X, said, “Pained by the passing of Dr. K.M. Cherian, one of the most distinguished doctors of our country. His contribution to cardiology will always be monumental, not only saving many lives but also mentoring doctors of the future. His emphasis on technology and innovation always stood out. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this hour of grief.”

Simple childhood

In his autobiography, Dr. Cherian recalled his simple childhood, from walking barefoot to school to playing marbles on the street with friends, and a love to don paint to participate in the tiger dance during Onam. He confessed to getting zero in mathematics in Class 5, but the school managed to give grace marks to all students as the exam was unusually tough.

K.R. Balakrishnan, chairman-cardiac sciences and director of the Institue of Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support in MGM Healthcare, recalled coming to Chennai in November 1984 “fresh from training in Bombay”. Dr. Cherian was a mentor, with whom he conducted experiments during his stint at the Railway Hospital. “We did exciting stuff at that time,” he said.

“He has travelled all over the world, planning for Madras Medical Mission (MMM). When I was working in Auckland in New Zealand, he stayed with me almost a week, visiting hospitals. I was the first cardiac surgeon to work with him. This is before he became famous. He was instrumental in me getting a fellowship in the United States. He was very generous to young people who worked with him. His contributions to cardiac surgery in India are legendary.”

Ajit Mullasari, director of cardiology at the Institute of Cardio-vascular diseases at the MMM, said his association with Dr. Cherian began in 1995 when he joined the hospital.

“The first bypass surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, the heart transplantation in the private sector, a lot of paediatric surgeries were pioneering efforts in this country. He had a great vision of the future,” he said. Dr. Cherian “believed standalone centres will have no dilution of cardiac care. Subsequently a lot of people followed. But he was always one step ahead,” Dr. Mullasari said, adding: “He put effort into research, which usually doesn’t happen in a private centre. He was pushing you to research, be it stem cell or lab work. He would push us to write and encourage us to present in international congresses.”

Sowmya Swaminathan, former chief scientist of World Health Organisation and chairperson of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, in her post on X, said, “Deeply saddened to hear of Dr. KM Cherian’s passing. His memoir was just released and we had long conversations recently — about the future of innovation and health technology development in India. Certainly a source of inspiration to many, apart from the countless lives he saved! RIP.”

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