- Radial Angioplasty is a minimally invasive approach that allows experts to reach the heart via the radial artery in the wrist
- Radial Angioplasty requires clinical expertise and is considered safer than the femoral route since veins and arteries are not at risk of getting punctured; patient is also mobilised faster post the procedure
Delhi/NCR, September 23, 2021: With heart attacks on rise in younger population and the recent sudden death of actor Siddharth Shukla coming as a rude awakening for youngsters to keep a tab on their lifestyles, another alarming case came to light at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket recently wherein a 25-year-old, obese male patient was saved from a fatal heart attack.
Raman came to emergency at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket complaining of chest pain which he had been experiencing for several hours. He was diagnosed to have 99% obstruction in his left anterior descending artery (LAD). Doctors opted to carry out Radial Angioplasty to open the blocked coronary arteries and restore blood flow. This was via the artery that supplies the blood to the hand from the heart.
With early intervention and stent placement, doctors were successfully able to manage his condition and stabilise the patient.
Talking about the need to employ this procedure, Dr Viveka Kumar, Principal Director and Chief of Cath Labs (Pan Max) – Cardiac Sciences, who led the case said, “In this particular case, the procedure became vital since the patient was obese. We chose Radial Angioplasty to minimise blood loss. We also wanted early mobilisation since obese patients such as Raman are at a high risk of complications. Traditionally, coronary angioplasty has been done through the femoral artery, accessed from the patient’s groin, however, in this case the chances of complications and bleeding were higher. While Radial Angioplasty is a clinically challenging procedure as the blocked artery is reached through narrower blood vessels in the hand. This procedure is safer than the femoral route with lowered chances of puncture in major blood vessels.”
Dr Kumar added that in view of the patient’s young age he was implanted with an absorbable stent which will get absorbed in two years and the patient does not have to take blood thinners life long.
In the Radial Angioplasty procedure, a wire is taken to the blocked coronary artery. Then a balloon is inflated across the blockage to make appropriate space for the stent to be deployed as scaffolding to the artery and preventing further recurrence of blockage.
Elaborating further about the case, Dr Kumar said, “Raman was a non-diabetic and non-hypertensive but a smoker and weighed over 100 kgs. He was managed early in the emergency with anti-platelets
(to prevent clotting) and anti-anginal medications. After shifting him to the cath-lab for an angiogram, we ascertained that he had 99% obstruction in his left anterior descending artery (LAD) and a thrombus (blood clot) in the proximal region. We immediately planned for stenting and thrombus aspiration to remove the clot. Thankfully he responded well to the procedure and normal blood flow was restored in the LAD artery. He recovered soon and was sent home just after two days of hospital stay.”
While this patient was never infected with Covid, Dr Kumar pointed to the fact that there was a definite link between Covid and increased incidence of heart attacks. “During the Covid and post-Covid era, a significant number of people are experiencing cardiac issues and there has been an alarming rise in episodes of heart attacks as well. It is mainly the post-Covid patients who are more prone to heart attacks, however, they can be treated successfully if brought to the hospital on time. The risk of heart attack and stroke increases three-fold in the first two weeks following COVID-19, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. COVID-19 patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease have increased case fatality rates as compared to others. Most cardiovascular events in patients with COVID -19 are the result of severe immune over-reaction by the body,” he said.
Symptoms of a heart attack to look out for include uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness and pain in the centre of the chest lasting more than a few minutes, or intermittently erupting. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach, shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort, cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness are some other symptoms to be aware of.
About Max Healthcare:
Max Healthcare Institute Limited (MHIL) is one of India’s largest hospital chain operator (considering only income from healthcare services) in fiscal 2021. It is committed to the highest standards of medical and service excellence, patient care, scientific and medical education.
MHIL has major concentration in North India consisting of a network of 17 healthcare facilities. Out of the total network, eight hospitals and four medical centres are located in Delhi and the NCR, and the others are located in the cities of Mumbai, Mohali, Bathinda and Dehradun. The Max network includes all the hospitals and medical centres owned and operated by the Company and its subsidiaries, partner healthcare facilities and managed healthcare facilities. These include state-of-the-art tertiary and quaternary care hospitals at Saket, Patparganj, Vaishali, Rajendra Place, and Shalimar Bagh in Delhi NCR and one each in Mumbai, Mohali, Bathinda and Dehradun, secondary care hospital in Gurgaon and Day Care Centres at Noida, Lajpat Nagar and Panchsheel Park in Delhi NCR and one in Mohali, Punjab. The hospitals in Mohali and Bathinda are under PPP arrangement with the Government of Punjab.
In addition to its core hospital business, MHIL has two SBUs – Max@Home and MaxLab. Max@Home is a platform that provides health and wellness services at home and MaxLab offers diagnostic services to patients outside its network.
