PM may have beating heart surgery rather than bypass

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in a stable condition, a senior doctor at AIIMS said Friday, adding that they would prefer to conduct a 'less risky' beating heart surgery on the prime minister rather than a bypass surgery.

'The prime minister is in a stable condition. He is fine. He is talking to the hospital staff. His wife (Gursharan Kaur) and daughters are here. Doctors prefer to do a beating heart surgery as compared to the bypass surgery,' K. Srinath Reddy, who is the chairman of the prime minister's medical panel, told IANS.

He said the decision on the form of surgery would be taken by the doctors Saturday when they conduct the surgery.

'The general mood is for the beating heart surgery. But no decision has been taken so far. Most of the tests have been done,' Reddy said.

While the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is providing the logistic support, the surgery would be conducted by well-known cardio-thoracic surgeon Ramakant Panda, vice-chairman of the Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai.