Ernakulam General Hospital introduces a ground-breaking scheme offering free Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS) to patients with heart conditions. MICS is characterized by reduced pain, improved lung function, and faster recovery, as it involves creating small incisions without cracking the sternum and performing valve replacements and bypass surgeries. This allows patients to experience reduced pain and faster recovery. Generally, after such cardiac surgeries, individuals can return to physically demanding tasks relatively quickly. Within 2 to 3 weeks, patients can resume their normal lives. The optimal time for achieving a successful outcome with minimal invasive cardiac surgery (including open-heart surgery with a small incision in the chest) is around 12 weeks.

Only 3 to 6 per cent of hospitals in India routinely perform minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Such heart surgeries are rarely performed in public sector hospitals. In the private sector, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, which costs Rs10-15 lakh, is included in the government's treatment package.The General Hospital has all the facilities such as advanced surgical expertise, special instrument sets and trained personnel to perform minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery can perform various operations such as bypass surgeries, valve repair, valve replacement, and holes in the heart.