Harinder Singh Bedi FIACS

Dr. Bedi is one of the senior heart surgeons in India and has special expertise in bypass surgery. In fact, he is credited with one of the world’s first series of multivessel beating heart surgery with post-op check engines. This was published in the most reputed journal – the Annals of Thoracic Surgery – and was also presented by Dr. Bedi at various National and International meetings and acknowledged in the Limca Book of World Records. It is a matter of great pride for Indians that the beating heart surgery series with angiographic follow-up was first published in Punjab by Dr. Bedi. Bypass surgery is now no longer a heart-stopping experience and some patients earlier deemed inoperable can now be treated.

Dr. Bedi has earlier worked at the St Vincents Hospital in Sydney and the original Escorts Heart Institute in Delhi. Dr. Bedi said that Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS) is a further advance where major surgery is done with a minimal cut on the body.MICS was first done in Punjab by him in 1997 (patient Mr. Shyam Sunder of Batala) and since then has been done in a number of cases. Now with further modifications, the technique is being applied to more patients. In fact, Dr. Bedi’s name figures again in the Limca Book of World Records for minimally invasive heart surgery.
With the advent of technology and better training and skills – the results of interventional treatment are consistently good and predictable. Safety and long-term results are the keywords. Dr. Bedi cautioned that appropriate therapy should be initiated in time as if heart disease progresses and damages the heart and lungs – then results can be compromised. The latest techniques including endovascular and minimally invasive techniques for cardiac, vascular, and thoracic diseases were explained. Dr. Bedi is also the Founder President and Patron of the Association of North Zone Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons (ANZCTS).