–after groundbreaking brain surgery

AN officer of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), 35-year-old Amit Bacchus, was granted a new lease on life following a groundbreaking brain surgery in January, this year.

Bacchus underwent surgery to address a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which was affecting his ability to conduct day-to-day activities.

A brain AVM is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain. The arteries are responsible for taking oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain while veins carry the oxygen-depleted blood back to the lungs and heart. A brain AVM disrupts this vital process.

The surgery which was one of just two completed locally, lasted a total of three hours and was conducted by neurosurgeon, Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi, at the Catheterization Laboratory or “CATH Lab” at the Woodlands Hospital.

Bacchus, a father of three, speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, said that he feels better than ever after recovering from his surgery, noting that before his surgery he was unable to do any of the things he loves including serving the country and spending time with his family.

He told the media that for some time prior to receiving his diagnosis, he was experiencing significant headaches and dizzy spells, which prompted him to get a general checkup. It was after these checkups and subsequent visits to specialists that Bacchus received his diagnosis.

Bacchus was diagnosed with a Grade Five Brain AVM on XXX after he underwent an “onyx embolization” – a minimally invasive procedure. Medical specialists recorded his case as the largest brain AVM found locally.
Following his surgery, some 70-75 per cent of the AVM was obliterated.

“Things like simply riding a bicycle I couldn’t do, because you didn’t know when a seizure would come on, but now, I could do everything, I don’t have the side effects anymore,” Bacchus said.

Bacchus’ wife, Sunita Persaud, said that she is happy to have her husband back to himself, joking that he has recovered so well that she has to remind him of recommendations by his doctors to “take it slow” for a little while. She noted that she is thankful for the advancement of technology and the doctors who helped save her husband, essentially keeping her family together.

Bacchus, speaking about his journey, said that he advises other people to not take their health for granted, acknowledging that had he not taken a decision to go to the doctor, his condition would have gone untreated and might have had a major effect on his day-to-day life.

“Don’t take your health for granted especially if it’s consistent because when a person is sick there has to be something bringing on that sickness,” Bacchus said.

Bacchus’s surgery, according to lead neurosurgeon Dr. Dukhi, had a high risk due to the size of the AVM.

TIMELY SUPPORT
Funding for the surgery, which cost $6 million, was acquired through donations from the GPF, the Ministry of Health, and private donors, along with other funds from Bacchus and his family.

According to Dr. Dukhi, AVM is an extremely rare medical issue, and the chances of developing the condition are one in 2,000.

The operation, according to Dr. Dukhi, involves the placement of surgical glue at the site of the AVM to close the opening to prevent rupture and leaking; this was completed with minimal complications.

The complex procedure required the use of a cerebral flow diverter, a new piece of medical technology, to re-divert his blood flow from the AVM.

“That was the first time ever that piece of technology was used in Guyana because AVM’s that are grade five are extremely difficult and we got 75 per cent of it,” Dr. Dukhi explained.

The neurosurgeon said that with the first surgery successfully removing 75 per cent of the AVM, Bacchus is expected to undergo a second surgery within the next six months to remove the remaining 25 per cent.
Both the doctor and Bacchus are optimistic about the success and recovery after the second procedure.

Dr. Dukhi said that the success of this surgery showcases the capabilities of the local health sector, and he advised persons to not pay heed to the wide known stereotype that local medical services cannot compete with those in developed countries.

He noted that advancement in technology locally has continued to allow the health sector to grow and match those services provided outside of Guyana.

Dr. Dukhi added that both the public and private health systems have been advancing to cater to the growing health needs of Guyanese.