Ipoh Specialist Hospital Records 3,000 Open-heart Surgeries In 26 Years

IPOH, April 15 (Bernama) -- Ipoh Specialist Hospital has successfully performed 3,000 open-heart surgeries in 26 years, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to provide high-quality cardiothoracic care.

Its cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Ko Chung Sen said the achievement reflects the hospital’s medical team’s long-standing commitment to delivering standards of care comparable to leading medical centres locally and abroad.

“Reaching 3,000 cases in 26 years is no small feat. On average, centres performing more than 100 surgeries annually are considered high-volume, and we have consistently maintained that level with a success rate of between 97 and 99 per cent every year.

“Typically, a heart bypass surgery takes between four-and-a-half to five hours. However, with the use of the latest equipment, as well as modern technology and skills, procedures can now be carried out more efficiently and safely,” he said.

He said this in a press conference attended by the hospital’s medical director Dr Luis Chen Shian Liang and head of Cardiology Department, Dr Hasral Noor Hasni.

Dr Ko said among the main challenges in performing such surgeries are patients’ age and underlying health conditions, including those who have undergone dialysis, experienced amputations, are wheelchair-bound or have suffered strokes.

However, he noted that the hospital’s post-surgery complication and mortality rates are significantly lower than international benchmarks, remaining below the global standard threshold of five per cent.

Meanwhile, KPJ Healthcare Berhad president and managing director Chin Keat Chyuan said the milestone of 3,000 open-heart surgeries demonstrates the hospital’s advanced and consistently developed cardiothoracic capabilities.

“This is not merely a measure of patient numbers, but also the ability to manage complex cases safely. It reflects how the KPJ Healthcare system supports specialist care delivery through shared standards, multidisciplinary collaboration and continuous capacity building.

“It reinforces our commitment to further enhancing the provision of specialist services to the community,” he said in a statement.

-- BERNAMA