A heart patient can now undergo surgery while reading a newspaper or listening to music! Doctors here proved as much Friday when they claimed to have performed a bypass on a conscious 42-year-old.

Doctors at the private Care Hospitals said they performed India's first AWAKE multi-vessel total arterial beating heart bypass surgery on the patient. Under this advanced procedure, the patient was conscious when the doctors operated on him.

Prateek Bhatnagar, who led the team of doctors, said the new technique avoids the risk of a ventilator as well as complications arising out of general anaesthesia.

Under the procedure, the patient is awake and is given only local anaesthesia in the back instead of general anaesthesia. Doctors said this also avoids the risk of lung infection.

"This procedure can be especially beneficial to patients with weak lungs and those who are obese," Bhatnagar told a news conference.

This method is not only cost effective but also ensures that the patient recovers fast. Usually, in a bypass operation, the patient requires seven to 10 days of hospitalisation. In this new procedure, the patient is ready to go home soon after.

Another unique feature is the use of arterial graft, which is supposed to have a longer life compared to leg veins that are normally used.