At 77, Mr. Chua Wan Chuan seemed like the epitome of health. Active and vibrant, his daily walks kept him feeling great—until a routine health check revealed he had severe blockages in his main arteries. The shocking diagnosis left him anxious and wondering about his options.

"When I first got the news, I was really worried," Mr. Chua admitted. The thought of open heart bypass surgery was daunting, especially at his age. His daughter, Michelle, echoed his fears, concerned about the intricacies of such a major operation.

Traditionally, open heart bypass demands a huge incision to access the heart, a method Mr. Chua was not keen to embrace. Angioplasty with stenting was another possibility, but his cardiologist, Dr. Lim Tai Tian, advised against it due to significant risks associated with his heavily calcified blockages.

A Hopeful Alternative: Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS)