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Breach Candy Hospital to Offer Primary Angioplasty 24X7

The cathlab has electrophysiological equipment capable of diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disturbances by Radio Frequency Ablation

The cathlab at Breach Candy

Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai inaugurated a new state-of-the-art cathlab which will allow primary angioplasties to be performed on heart attack patients on a round-the-clock basis.

The cathlab has electrophysiological equipment capable of diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disturbances by Radio Frequency Ablation. In addition, facilities for performing neuro-vascular surgeries will be available. This enables aneurisms and blocks located within and outside the brain to be treated by interventional devices.

Patients with abdominal aneurysm can be treated by the refined method of stent graft without taking recourse to surgery. The unique 'stent boost' will enable one to clearly visualise the stent which is not possible with conventional cath lab machines.

Said Dr DB Pahlajani, Chief Interventional Cardiologist, Breach Candy Hospital, "At present, this procedure of primary angioplasty is performed randomly by various hospitals, but none of the hospitals have taken this up as a dedicated 'programme' to make the facilities and services available on a round-the-clock basis. This allows us to perform emergency angiograms and primary angiograms within 90 minutes of heart attack patients arriving at the hospital and thereby improving survival of heart attack victims."

Said Maj Gen (Retd) Vijay Krishna, CEO Breach Candy Hospital, "Patient care and wellness are our first priority. Therefore acquiring world class equipment and offering round-the-clock service comes naturally to us." He added, "This will enable Breach Candy Hospital to provide cardiac patients treatment they typically seek abroad."

Dr Pahlajani further elaborated that when a patient has a heart attack the most common and convenient treatment offered to these patients is in the form of chemical agents which dissolves the clot. However, such treatment opens up clogged arteries in about 50 per cent of patients whereas primary angioplasty opens up clogged arteries in 99 per cent patients and this saves 50 per cent of lives as compared to treatment with chemical agents.

In India, 2.5 million patients develop heart attacks annually. However less than 7,000 primary coronary angioplasties are performed across roughly 400 cardiac catheterisation labs across the country. "Inability to perform these procedures leads to deaths which could be prevented by primary angioplasty," said Dr Pahlajani.

EH News Bureau