230 kg Zimbabwean woman gets fresh lease of life in Ahmedabad

A team of doctors at the Care Institute of Medical Services (CIMS) performed a high-risk bariatric surgery, believed to be the first of its kind in the country. The team of seven doctors that included bariatric surgeons, cardiologists and anaesthetist performed the surgery on a 28-year-old Zimbabwean weighing a staggering 230 kg.

“What is unique about this case is that the patient, Natasha Tembo also had a heart condition due to which her heart was functioning only at 20% of its actual capacity. This was a 100% risky surgery, but excellent team work and positive outlook of the patient among others helped,” said Dr Manish Khaitan, bariatric surgeon. He said the patient was informed of the risk involved.

“Yet they were willing to go for it, for without the surgery she would not have a healthy life anyway,” he said.

He said that initially when Tembo had approached them a year ago, they had sent her back as it was too risky. “She was morbidly obese and her heart was functioning at 20% of its actual capacity. Hence, we refused saying it was extremely risky to operate on her,” said Khaitan. He said Tembo came after a year, by when she had lost 15 kg by dieting.

Tembo, who had been obese as a child, had developed a viral infection in her childhood that also affected her heart, leading to the condition.

“She was first given medicine for her heart condition and when her clinical indicators improved we decided to operate on her. But even at the time of the operation, her heart was still functioning at below normal levels,” said Dr Anish Chandarana.