CHENNAI: Dr K M Cherian, a pioneer heart surgeon who performed the country’s first coronary artery bypass, passed away on Saturday night in Bengaluru. He was 82. Speaking to TNIE, his daughter Sandhya Cherian said he collapsed at a wedding in Bengaluru.
He was rushed to a hospital but died on the way, she said. His mortal remains were brought to Chennai from Bengaluru on Sunday. The funeral will be held on February 1 and the body will be laid to rest at the Kilpauk cemetery.
His body will be kept at the Frontier Lifeline Hospital on January 31 for public homage, Sandhya said. Dr Cherian, the founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital and Dr Cherian Heart Foundation, was a recipient of various awards, including the Padma Shri in 1991. He performed India’s first successful coronary artery bypass surgery in 1975 at the Southern Railway Headquarters Hospital at Perambur in Chennai.
It may be recalled that when he performed that surgery, there were no special needle holders, forceps, headlights or standby generators. He is also credited with performing India’s first heart-lung transplant and first paediatric heart transplant. In their condolence messages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Dr Cherian as one of the most distinguished doctors of the country, while Chief Minister M K Stalin said his “pioneering work” saved many lives.
Born in 1942 in Alappuzha in Kerala, Cherian did his MBBS in 1964 and MS in 1970 at the Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore. He started his .
