A report on activities of Sajja Heart Foundation

The Sajja Heart Foundation has carried out several activities during the last two years since its inception towards conducting medical research, promoting medical research, and training the younger generation in research methodologists and community education on cardiovascular diseases.

1. International Presentations

The following studies were presented at American Association for Thoracic Surgery International Coronary Congress held in New York, USA. August 21-23,2015

a. Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting in India - time to raise the bar

b. Analysis of thirty-day outcomes of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a large cohort study

2. National Presentations

a. Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting survey in India presented at the 1st Indian Coronary Surgery Congress held at Bangalore September 26-27, 2015

b. Current status of BITA grafting in India a theme lecture delivered at IACTSCON 2016, held at Lucknow, February 2016

c. Comparison of outcomes of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with occult renal disease

3. Completed studies

a. Conducted first Indian survey on the use of “Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery Grafting during CABG in India”

b. Strategies to reduce deep sternal wound infection after bilateral internal mammary artery grafting – An Invited review published in International Journal of Surgery in 2015 from London, UK.

c. Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting in India - time to raise the bar – manuscript has been prepared and to be submitted to New England Journal of Medicine.

d. Analysis of thirty-day outcomes of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a large cohort study – manuscript has been prepared and submitted to New England Journal of Medicine.

e. A feasibility study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of MAR-CUTIS®, Topical Skin Adhesive, in holding closed easily approximated skin edges of wounds from surgical incisions. The study has been completed and submitted the study reports to the sponsors – Houston, Texas, USA.

4. Ongoing Studies

a. PROMOTE Patency- Prospective Randomized comparison of Off-pump and On-pump Multivessel cOronary artery bypass surgery To Evaluate outcomes and graft patency. The study is being conducted at 6 centers in India (Hyderabad, Calcutta, Mumbai, Nadiad, Coimbatore) a total of 70 patients were enrolled so far.

b. Changing trends of re-operative coronary artery bypass grafting: A 14-year study: Manuscript is under preparation.

c. Optimal revascularization of a dual left anterior descending coronary artery: Manuscript is under preparation.

5. CME activities

a. Health at crossroads by Dr. Kunal Sarkar, Past President of IACTS, Sr. Vice Chairman & Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Medica Superspeciality Hospital, Kolkata

b. Research in Cardiovascular Sciences - time to raise the bar by Dr. Pusapati Venkata Ramachandra Raju Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Star Hospitals, Hyderabad

c. Importance of Biostatistics in Medical Research by Mr. Adusumalli Nadamuni Naidu, M.Sc (Stat), Head, Department of Statistics (Retired), National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad

6. Supporting research activities

a. Providing statistical help for Cardiothoracic Surgery and Cardiology residents at Hyderabad.

b. To aid the researchers and investigators in designing studies, data harvesting and analysis, manuscript preparation leading to quality publications.

7. Future studies

a. Planning to conduct 20yrs follow up for patency of radial artery grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery

b. Planning to conduct community awareness programs - Dissemination of knowledge about cardiovascular diseases - Education of senior citizens in preventive and treatment aspects of a heart attack. Planning to conduct a prospective study on “Predictors for postoperative mitral repair failure

c. Preparing Indian Guidelines for coronary artery bypass surgery in association with IACTS.

d. Conduct a study to assess the prevalence of CAD in the geographical area

e. Conduct a study to identify the families with a history of premature CAD and follow up for cardiovascular events and precautions

f. Conduct a study to assess the short-term and long-term renal outcomes in patients with severe LV dysfunction after CABG.

g. Conduct a controlled randomized study on how remote ischemic preconditioning improves renal outcomes in patients undergoing CABG

h. Evaluate the significance of biomarkers in assessing the severity and occurrence of acute kidney injury post-CABG

* Introduction of New Heart Surgery

*He is the Founder-President of the Society of Coronary Surgeons, which was inaugurated virtually by His Excellency Honorable Vice-President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Ji in December 2020.

* He is elected as the Junior Vice-President of IACTS during the 67th Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS) held between 26 and 28th Feb 2021. He shall be installed as the President of IACTS in 2023.

* Promote Patency Trial; the first multi-centric Randomized Controlled trial conducted in Cardiac Surgery in India by seven Cardiac Surgeons under the leadership of Dr. Lokeswara Rao Sajja was published in the Indian Journal of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery was selected for the Best Original Article 2020 award during the 67th Annual Conference of IACTS.

* Dr. Sajja is one of the Authors of a paper published from the Arterial Revascularization Trial, one of the largest and longest followed-up multi-national RCT in Cardiac Surgery, -Ten-year outcomes after off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: Insights from the Arterial Revascularization Trial, was published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery-2020.

* He Presented contemporary trends in coronary artery surgery in India at the old Congress on cardia sciences in 2018

* The study was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American for Thoracic Surgery at SanDiego in April-2008

* PROMOTE Patency- Prospective Randomized comparison of Off-pump and On-pump Multivessel cOronary artery bypass surgery To Evaluate outcomes and graft patency. The study was conducted at 6 centers in India (Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nadiad, Coimbatore) a total of 320 patients were enrolled.

* Dr. Sajja delivered a lecture in Dr. C Sambasiva Rao Memorial Endowment CME program on “Recent advances in Cardiac Surgery” at Guntur Medical College, Guntur on 28.Feb.2016.

* Lokeswara Rao Sajja. Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting in India - time to raise the bar. Presented at American Association for Thoracic Surgery International Coronary Congress held in New York, USA. August 21-23,2015.

* Lokeswara Rao Sajja, Gopi Chand Mannam , Rama Chandra Raju Pusapati Ramesh Gudapati, Raghava Raju Penumatsa Jyothsna Guttikonda Sriramulu Sompalli. Analysis of thirty-day outcomes of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a large cohort study. Presented at American Association for Thoracic Surgery International Coronary Congress held in New York, USA. August 21-23,2015.

* Sajja LR, Strategies to reduce deep sternal wound infection after bilateral internal mammary artery grafting. Int J Surg. 2015;16: 171-178.

* Lokeswara Rao Sajja. “The Journey of Surgery for Coronary Artery Disease in India: Adoption, Customization and Innovation”. Sadasivan Oration. Indian J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014; 30:116-128.

Healthy Heart Ride 2014 - KBR Park Hyderabad









Lokeswara Rao Sajja. The journey of surgery for coronary artery disease in India: adoption, customization and innovation. Sadasivan Oration of Indian Association of Cardiovascular –Thoracic Surgeons June 2014, Volume 30, Issue 2, pp 116-128

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