Apollo Hospitals, Chennai has been a pioneer in utilizing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). During the brutal second wave of COVID-19, the team broke records by successfully helping lung function to recover in the largest number of patients in India.In ECMO, patient’s blood is purified and oxygenated through large tubes placed inside large veins (close to the heart) and returned back by means of a pump. In the majority of patients who had COVID-19 with lung failure, only lung support is required. In a small number of patients, it was required for the support of heart function also.Apollo Hospitals in Chennai has the country’s most advanced ECMO unit, which has successfully treated over 270 ECMO patients since 2010. ECMO is employed in a variety of situations, including poisoning, trauma, and infections such as H1N1, pre and post-transplant patients and most recently, COVID -19. We have demonstrated that ECMO was very effective in patients who were unable to be treated with conventional ventilator therapy. Among the many records that the Apollo Chennai ECMO unit has set, we also have had the longest bridge to lung recovery patient on ECMO for 116 days (183 days of hospitalisation). In addition, some of the other records include longest average stay 60 days, and the most number of patients who have recovered normal lung function after three months.Sharing insights with the media, Dr. Paul Ramesh, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic and Heart and Lung Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, said “The average period on ECMO prior to discharge is 60 days. The current survival rate (at 6 months) for ECMO patients is 73.9 percent, which is higher than the global average of 40-50 percent. One of the most effective outcomes of Apollo Hospitals’ ECMO programme is a patient who was on ECMO for 116 days, the longest bridge to recovery in India. By using ECMO we have seen that the majority of patients with significant lung injury recover fully, eliminating the need for a lung transplant.”He also added, “Of the 23 persons infected during the second wave of covid-19 with the delta variant placed on ECMO, ten patients have been discharged, one patient had a successful transplant, two patients are off ECMO and undergoing rehabilitation, and we lost six patients due to severe illness.”Dr. K. Madhankumar, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic and Heart and Lung Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, said, “The reasons for our team’s success include awake ECMO, which allows patients to remain awake and engage with their families, which boosts their morale and enhances the likelihood of a faster recovery and better treatment outcomes. Patients on ECMO are urged to exercise on a regular basis, and physiotherapy is provided to fully mobilize them quickly after they have been removed from the machine.”Ms. Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “In order to establish a state of the art ECMO unit that can deliver outcomes on par with the best units in the world, many streams of expertise, knowledge and skill from medical, nursing, perfusion technology as well as management and administrative streams have to come together. It is with deep satisfaction that I acknowledge that this has happened at a time when it was needed the most.”

In association the South East district of Delhi the initiative aims to address the battle against TBNew Delhi, 28th October, 2022: In an endeavour to address the challenge of management of TB in India, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi joined hands with honourable DM South East district Ms Isha Khosla. Under this initiative Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals has adopted 30 patients to address and fulfil their nutritional requirements. The TB patients will be provided with complimentary food packages on a monthly basis for consecutive 6 months.This association is in line with the vision of Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan that aims to strategically reduce TB burden in India by 2025. This program by MoHFW has been launched to ensure effective engagement of the community in the path towards ending TB in India by implementing the “Community Support to TB patients ‘, this in under the purview of National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) which aims to strategically reduce TB burden in India by 2025.This association was announced in an event today which was graced by the presence of honourable DM Ms. Isha Khosla, SDM, Mrs (Dr) Usha Banerjee and senior leadership from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.The spokespersons at the event addressed the challenges around TB and highlighted how tuberculosis requires a multi-sectoral response to address the social determinants like nutritional support, living and working conditions, and an increase in access to diagnostic and treatment services. Additionally they also highlighted that At present, India has the world’s highest tuberculosis burden, with an estimated value of 26 lakh people contracting the disease and approximately 4 lakh people dying every year, posing a substantial economic burden. At the event the leaders also applauded efforts of the government, the community and the institutions in the society on how they are playing a critical role in filling gaps and are addressing social determinants, around this disease.“Apollo Hospitals has always been at the forefront of addressing health issues, especially the ones that are of national concern. Hence we are happy to associate with honourable DM South East district Ms Isha Khosla to collaboratively tackle this issue”, said a spokesperson present.

The boy was declared brain dead after falling from third floor of his houseHe wanted to donate his organs since a very young ageNew Delhi, 18th November, 2022: In an act of nobility, a 14 year old brain dead boy donated his vital organs at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals to save lives of 6 people. Jyotiraditya Khanna, a class IX student and resident of Haridwar was declared dead due to severe brain and chest injuries after falling off the third floor of his house on 15th November, 2022.With his condition deteriorating, the boy was referred to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi on 16th November, 2022. Here under the supervision of Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi, Senior Consultant, Neurology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi and Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior consultant, pulmonology and critical care, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital he was admitted in the hospital. Post investigation, it was diagnosed that his brainstem reflexes were absent and he was declared brain dead. However amidst the loss, the family expressed the boy’s childhood wish of donating his organs and living through other people by saving lives. Following which his heart will be donated to a 44 year old retired Armyman, who was on his deathbed as his heart wasn’t able to pump blood properly. His corneas were donated to Dr Shroff Charity Eye Hospital. While one kidney would be transplanted into a 44 year old woman at Apollo Hospital, his second kidney will save life of 43 year old woman admitted at Jaipur Golden Hospital. His liver will be transplanted in two people, including an 8 year old boy and 54 year old man and lungs in 37 year old man from Punjab at Medanta Hospital.Speaking about the same, Dr Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director, Senior Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “Pediatric cadaver donation is extremely rare. It’s a brave decision by Jyotiraditya’s family, particularly when they were still coming to terms with their loss. Their son has saved the lives of six people, including an 8-year-old boy with liver failure who only had a few days left to live.”Dr Sudheer Kumar Tyagi, Senior Consultant, Neuro-surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi said, “When Jyotiraditya was brought to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, he was presented with multiple brain and chest injuries. Post investigation he was diagnosed with absence of brainstem reflexes basis which he was declared brain dead. Donating the organs posthumously is a very noble act to do and we are glad with the family’s decision. They have saved many lives.”Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior consultant, pulmonology and critical care, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said, “Jyotiraditya Khanna was injured on November 15 and taken to Metro Hospital at Haridwar. He was brought to Delhi on Wednesday morning and was declared brain dead on investigation. His parents were counselled regarding organ donation and they gave their consent. All organs of the boy have been retrieved by doctors from various hospitals. The process of harvesting organs was done meticulously. The heart had to be transplanted within 4hours, the lungs within 6 hours, the liver within 12 hours and the kidney within 24 hours, hence three green corridors were created for transporting the organs to three hospitals.”

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG)64 year old gentleman from Fiji was suffering from chest discomfort for more than 2 years, had uncontrolled sugar levels and impaired kidney function30 November, 2022: Mr KM, a 64 years old gentleman from Fiji recently underwent robot-assisted total arterial coronary artery bypass surgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. He had been suffering from chest discomfort for the past 2 years and had an uncontrolled blood sugar levels and impaired kidney function. Additionally, on examination he was also diagnosed with moderate heart dysfunction- his heart was not pumping enough blood, which put him at the risk of heart failure.Why not Open heart surgery?The patient had been advised an open heart surgery in his native country, however he was sceptical due to the possibilities of multiple complications involved like chest bone being cut, blood loss, kidney failure and post-surgical recovery. The surgery would be challenging because the patient had multiple underlying co-morbidities, hypertension, unstable sugar levels and lower heart function.With his condition deteriorating and taking a toll on his overall health he was referred to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. Here he was admitted under the supervision of Dr MM Yusuf, Specialist Consultant, Robotics and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Dr Mukesh Goel, Senior Consultant, Cardiothoracic surgery & Dr Varun Bansal, Consultant, Robotics and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.As a first step, Mr KM was admitted to the hospital for 5 days prior to the surgery to stabilise his kidney function. Once he was stabilised team of doctors conducted the robot-assisted total arterial triple vessel coronary artery bypass surgery on him. Post-surgery he was kept for observation in the ICU and then discharged. Currently, he is out of danger and walking around without support and performing all regular activities independently.Robotic Cardiac SurgeryDr MM Yusuf, who led the robot assisted cardiac surgery, said, “Robotic assist CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery) is the least invasive cardiac procedure. It is a symbiosis between state-of-the-art technology and surgical expertise. It offers great short and long-term benefits by subjecting patients to minimal cuts, less bleeding, less pain, early recovery and quick return to active life; which is a distant target by open chest surgery. Total arterial bypass surgery also provides best long term outcome with less risk of reintervention later in life. Dr MM Yusuf & his team have been performing this procedure routinely at Apollo Hospitals Chennai over the past 2 years.Speaking about the procedure, Dr Mukesh Goel said, “While fewer acute heart attack cases are being admitted to hospital emergency units, there is a marked increase in deaths from cardiac arrest at home, probably due to the postponement and delay in seeking medical attention. It is, therefore, important to emphasise that heart patients must not ignore any deterioration in symptoms and/or delay medical attention. Apollo Hospitals have been known to introduce the latest medical technology in India for the benefit of the patients. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery avoids sternal split and aids in a quick recovery”.Dr Varun Bansal added,” Technology has ushered in a paradigm shift in healthcare. From performing complex surgeries to providing remote care with telehealth, it has brought a massive transformation, taking medical treatment to unimaginable heights. Even though the use of robots in surgery isn’t new, emerging technologies and innovation have expanded their scope to help doctors perform difficult medical procedures and surgeries easily with more precision, comfort and speed.” Following Mr KM, another patient from India, who had coronary artery disease successfully underwent Robotic assist total arterial triple vessel bypass surgery and has reclaimed his active life within a week.About Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals:Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, India’s first JCI accredited hospital, is a joint venture between the Government of Delhi and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited. Commissioned in July 1996, it is the third super-specialty tertiary care hospital set up by the Apollo Hospitals Group. Spread over 15 acres, it houses 57 specialties with more than 300 specialists and more than 700 operational beds, 19 operation theatres, 138 ICU beds, round-the-clock pharmacy, NABL accredited laboratories, 24-hour emergency services and an active air ambulance service. Apollo Hospitals Delhi has the leading programme in kidney and liver transplant in the country. The first successful paediatrics and adult liver transplants in India were performed at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. The hospital is at the forefront of medical technology and expertise. It provides a complete range of latest diagnostic, medical and surgical facilities for the care of its patients. The Hospital has introduced the most sophisticated imaging technology to India with the introduction of 64 slice CT and 3 Tesla MRI, Novalis Tx and the integrated PET Suite. Indraprastha Apollo has also pioneered the concept of preventive health check programmes and has created a satisfied customer base over decades. The Hospital has been consistently ranked amongst the best 10 hospitals in India by The Week survey for the past few years.

Hyderabad, April 2022: Apollo Hospitals launched a unique multidisciplinary Centre of Excellence for Diabetic Foot Management (CoEDFM), for diabetic patients, known to be prone to foot related ailments, at its premises at Jubilee Hills. Apollo Hospitals in collaboration with the King’s College Hospital, London; will make a novel Diabetic Foot Reconstruction & Management procedure, available for the first time in the India, for patients at the Centre of Excellence for Diabetic Foot Management at Apollo Hospitals. This new procedure was developed by Dr Venu Kavarthapu, a World-renowned Orthopedic Surgeon & Consultant at King’s College Hospital, London.CoEDFM will follow a multi-disciplinary treatment protocol for the festering foot related ailments, which can often be traumatic and life threatening for diabetic patients. To render a comprehensive and holistic care to the most dreaded problem among diabetics, Apollo Hospitals has set up a team of specialists as part of CoEDFM, comprising of Podiatric surgeons, Vascular surgeons, Orthopaedic surgeons, Infectious disease specialists, Physical therapists and Orthotists. The team will work collaboratively to address medical optimization, arterial perfusion and infection eradication in order to ensure a functional leg, ankle and foot.Speaking on the occasion Dr Venu Kavarthapu said, what happens in Diabetics is, because of the damage to the nerves, vessels and the bones, the foot gets twisted or deformed, unless we untwist the foot and correct the deformity, the patient can’t walk well. Patients with diabetic foot problem if they can’t remain mobile, they develop bigger problems, the heart gets weakened, kidney problems, impacting brain blood circulation resulting in stroke and multiple problems. It’s really important that we maintain their mobility, taking their leg off, amputating the leg is not ideal in those group of people either. Those people with diabetes if they lose their leg, there is so much scientific evidence available for more than three decades that they end their life early, about 60% to 70% die with in 5 years, which is not acceptable. We decided to try and develop a more reliable surgical technique and develop the instrumentation, special devices to provide a reliable and predictable solution for this really complex problem.So, this unit where I work and head as a reconstructive lead at King’s College Hospital Diabetic Foot Unit in London, I have done more than 170 specific complex diabetic foot reconstructions and we are very pleased with the results and those results are globally recognized and many countries follow such similar protocol. I feel so fortunate to be able to provide that service to my people in India, I am so grateful to Apollo and my friend Dr Srinivas Seshabhattaru, for joining up with us to deliver this service to our own people. Often patients who are recommended for amputation come to us. We already started treating patients at the Centre of Excellence for Diabetic Foot Management at Apollo Hospitals. With an already well established and amazing primary foot care, Apollo has through Apollo Sugar Clinics, most of the patients don’t reach a chronic stage. Some of them develop bigger problems, those patients require secondary care and we already have a fantastic center here at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, headed by Dr Srinivas, providing the secondary care. But what we are going to introduce from now on which hasn’t been available in this country in a structured manner is to provide the high-end tertiary care for those patients who come with severe deformity or foot become too wobbly, unstable, if the infection gets bad, all of these are normally managed with amputations usually in many centers. But what we are going to offer is this advanced diabetic foot limb reconstruction service.The goal here is not to just retain the limb, but to retain the functionality so that patient can walk and have a decent lifestyle. The material used for diabetic foot reconstruction has to be much stronger than the ones we use for routine fractures. For the bones breaks we use similar types of plates and screws, they need not be so strong, because the bone break heals generally in 6 to 8 weeks. But these take long time to heal so the metal has to be very reinforced, very strong so they are all made of reinforced titanic alloy and the geometry of the fixation tower has to be specific. So the mantra used for the fixation device is called a Long segment rigid fixation with optimal bone position. Normally if the same bone gets fractured in non-diabetic patient, we just fix those two ends together, it’s called short segment, where just that segment is fixed. For diabetic foot if you just fix that segment, that segment breaks again. Two to three decades ago when doctors tried to fix these it failed, the doctors at that time declared that you should never operate, just amputate. But what other clinicians did was, if we do use the long segment fixation they don’t break, they don’t fail so easily.But that segmentation has to be very rigid, there shouldn’t be any motion until the bone heals, there shouldn’t be even micromotion, it has to be rigid fixation. These devices are not only made of strong material, but they have to applied in an engineering manner in a certain way so that we get that rigid long segment fixation, there shouldn’t be any gaps between the bones then the bones join. To our pleasant surprise till 20-30 years ago there was a view that they never join, they do join, if we do in a one particular way and we have shared our experience through scientific publications and now there is a wider usage of this principle.Diabetics suffer from neuropathy or weakness and dysfunction of the nerves of the lower limb that leads to loss of protective sensation. This lack of sensation results in patients unknowingly injuring their feet, which won’t heal quickly. Patients in addition could develop altered gait or walking patterns. Injury in areas of high pressures in the weight bearing skin or soles of the feet is common too. These progressively lead to foot deformities and formation of foot ulcers that are difficult to heal and when infected pose a threat of losing the limb or needing amputation of the legs. The other major issue is progressive reduction in blood flow to the limbs that results in painful nonhealing ulcers and reduced ability to heal wounds and sometimes leads to gangrene, which is death of tissue that is irreversible.As part of the protocol designed by CoEDFM, specialists led by Podiatric surgeons perform comprehensive foot evaluations for high-risk patients, screen for factors that could lead to diabetic foot complications. The Team of specialists at CoEDFM, identify and curtail Diabetic Foot disease early and provide succor through various foot care options.They prescribe customized footwear or molded inserts for foot deformities. Help use customized braces and therapeutic, prescription diabetic footwear to prevent the formation of foot ulcerations or even to heal ulcers. In instances, apply advanced wound healing technologies like Bioengineered tissues like amniotic tissues, living cell therapies, negative pressure wound therapies, total contact casting and other advanced therapies to heal wounds expediently. After healing ulcers early, the foot is made stable and functional weight bearing through offloading surgeries and modern advanced reconstructive surgeries to correct Foot deformities, correct Biomechanical discrepancies and Charcot foot stabilization.Despite optimal preventative measures, some patients with diabetic foot problems develop severe deformities and infection, resulting in amputation. CoEDFM now offer complex diabetic foot deformity correction surgeries that allow to retain the leg and mobility.The nerves of Diabetic patients become weak in 8 to 9 years of diabetes and is called diabetic neuropathy, with this ailment they can’t put their foot firmly and that variation in the walk leads to areas of sole developing boils due to uneven pressure. If it is ignored, the sense of touch and pain is lost in that area and will become wounds called neuropathic ulcer. To heal the wound, we need to ensure proper placement of the foot while walking to reduce the pressure in the area. This can be healed by special footwear. If we don’t intervene in right time the foot gets deformed leading to ucers, which don’t heal and lead to deformity. Such deformed foot are reconstructed through this new surgery. Even though a major amputation is a quick and easy procedure to do, most such patients do not achieve ambulatory status after surgery. Due to the complications related to reduced mobility about 70% of these patients die with in 5 years. The patient can retain mobility if the deformed and infected diabetic foot is reconstructed so that the foot becomes stable and normal shaped, says Dr Srinivas Seshabhattaru, Consultant Podiatric Surgeon Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills.Dr Ravindra Babu, Director Medical Services, Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills; said, we all know that diabetes is a huge burden, chronic diabetes leads to foot ulcers and ultimately the foot is amputated. Preventing amputation and retaining the patient’s leg is the challenge we are addressing. Dr Venu Kavarthapu has found a solution and patients that would have lost the leg are able to walk. Now this surgery is available at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, we performed some complicated surgeries. These surgeries have never been attempted in our country and are being done for the first time.The new technique uses the international fixation method using special devices including beams, bolts and specially designed plates and nails. These techniques were developed, and some devices designed by Prof Venu Kavarthapu at King’s College Hospital in London, and this resulted in marked improvements in the success rates. The Specialists at the Centre of Excellence for Diabetic Foot Management, at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, have acquired the required reconstruction skills and specialized technologies and are geared to perform these complex surgeries with great finesse and help diabetic patients to mitigate their sufferingAbout Apollo HospitalsIt was in 1983, that Dr Prathap C Reddy made a pioneering endeavor by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. Now, as Asia’s foremost trusted integrated healthcare group, its presence includes over 12,000 beds across 72 Hospitals, 4500+ Pharmacies, over 120 Primary Care clinics and 700+ Diagnostic centers, 500 plus Telemedicine Centers, over 15 medical education centers and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research, Apollo Hospitals has been at the forefront of new medical advancements with the most recent investment being the commissioning of South East Asia’s very first Proton Therapy Centre in Chennai.Every four days, the Apollo Hospitals Group touches a million lives, in its mission to bring healthcare of international standards within the reach of every individual. In a rare honor, the Government of India had issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For 37 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Its hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals in the country for advanced medical services.          

Cyanotic heart disease is a condition characterized with low oxygen levels in the blood due to cardiac defect leading to deranged function of the bodyBaby was underweight at birth with bluish discoloration of lips and nails, gradually also developed difficulty in breathingNew Delhi, 14th June, 2022: In a rare case of congenital heart diseases, 3 months old Priyansh was successfully operated at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. The child was born with a complication called, Obstructed Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection – a cyanotic heart disease, a heart defect in which the children are born which can change the way blood flows through the heart and lungs. It is a defect where the red or oxygenated blood do not reach the heart to be supplied to the body but join with the veins. Hence the baby survives only due to the presence of a connection with in the heart through which the red (good) blood mixes with the blue blood for survival. In this baby this connection was also very small & there was narrowing in the circuit due to which the pressure in the lungs were also very high.As a result, the baby was blue with feeding & breathing difficulty.After his condition deteriorated with acute breathlessness the child got admitted to Government hospital where heart disease was suspected, his condition deteriorated further & he was brought in emergency. On admission the child was on tube ventilation and was immediately transferred to the ICU under the supervision of Dr Manisha Chakrabarti, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Cardiology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi the baby was stabilized and his echo was done and was diagnosed with Cyanotic heart disease: Obstructed TAPVC. Surgical repair was done by our CTVS surgeon Dr Rajesh Sharma with help of anesthetist Dr Nitya Bisarya on the same day since any delay would have been fatal. Post-surgery the child was kept on ventilator till them time his heart and lung function stabilized.Dr Manisha Chakrabarti, who primarily took care of the baby said,’ On admission the child was very critical, breathing heavily and had irregular vitals. We immediately did an echo that revealed this rare congenital heart disorder and performed surgery on same day.Post-surgery the child needed to be in ICU for 11 days, under care of our Cardiac Intensivist Dr Vishal Singh, till the time his heart and lung function were normalized completely. The baby was also given aggressive respiratory therapy. On 16th May, the child was discharged in a healthy condition.’Out of all congenital heart diseases, this condition is one of the rarest. While there is no set reason for its occurrence, there can be multiple factors responsible like chemical exposure, genetic syndrome, and infections during pregnancy, unmonitored use of medicines by the mother.Dr Manisha Chakrabarti, stressed on the fact that such condition has very good future if operated on time and every effort should be taken for transfer of such babies in appropriate hands once suspicion is made. She thanked the Government doctor’s initiative to stabilize the baby and motivate the parents to consent foe high risk surgical procedure.

Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai has successfully performed a Cyberknife Radiosurgery procedure on a 34-year-old athlete from Auckland, New Zealand, relieving him from symptoms of a special form of epilepsy called Medial temporal lobe Epilepsy(MTLE) while preserving his memory.The 34-year-old patient who is an athlete and a software professional, started experiencing recurrent episodes of a sense of butterflies in his stomach with occasional attacks of unconsciousness in 2009.  He was undergoing treatment for Simple partial seizures in New Zealand, but between 2010 to 2015 he had multiple seizure attacks. The imaging results revealed rare type of Epilepsy called Medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) which were controlled with anti-epileptic medicines. However, patient’s seizures increased in frequency and could not be controlled with medications.  Eventually, he was advised to explore a surgical option in New Zealand. He consulted Dr. Shankar, Senior Radiation Oncologist & Cyberknife Expert at Apollo Cancer Center around January 2021 and was advised to undergo a detailed neuropsychological assessment. Patient had visual memory scores at 90th percentile before any surgical interventions.Dr. Muthukani, Senior Epileptologist, Apollo Hospitals alluded that MTLE is one of common type of epilepsy and is often characterized by the sense of an aura immediately preceding the seizure. MTLE affects the inner part of the temporal lobe of the brain, specifically in area called the hippocampus, which processes memories.Microsurgery is the first treatment option for Drug resistant MTLE. However, surgery poses some risk to memory. Patient was keen on preserving his memory and get his seizures under control by exploring a promising alternative option- Cyberknife Radiosurgery. Cyberknife is a non-invasive option which involves delivery of X-Rays/Gamma rays with great (sub mm) accuracy. It is a day care procedure and completed in a single session over 30 minutes.Dr. Shankar said that “Radiosurgery is not for all MTLE patients. It is used in select indications who fit into the following criteria – young patients with a high level of functioning, socially adapted, working, and with only a few neuropsychological deficits before treatment. Radiosurgery in such patients provide favorable efficacy (nearly 70% Engel class 1 response) comparable to surgical series and superior memory preservation.”Patient has been tapered of the medications to lower doses and there are no new episodes of seizures. He is back to his regular work with rejuvenated energy.

13 year old girl from Pakistan with neck bent at 90 degrees (resulting from a rare muscular condition) undergoes ‘successful’ life-changing surgery to straighten her neck at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New DelhiShe was detected with dropped head syndrome & a neglected/progressive cerebral palsy6th April, New Delhi: Suffering from a rare muscular condition, 13 year old girl from Pakistan with head bent at 90 degrees, was successfully operated at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.Extremely rare condition commonly termed as “dropped head syndrome” is a chin-on-chest deformity in which the head drops forward due to lack of support from the muscles of the neck and can be caused by a variety of neuromuscular or other disorders. The 13 year old’s case had gotten complicated over the years due undiagnosed, neglected, progressive dislocation at the cranio-cervical junction aggravated by the cervical dystonia of her cerebral palsy.After getting hurt on the neck as an infant, her neck had gotten stuck at 90 degrees. Only recently her family reported that her condition had deteriorated in the past few years- she would get breathless walking short distances, speech and hearing abilities had gotten impaired. She was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals under the supervision of Dr Rajagopalan Krishnan, Senior Consultant Orthopedics, Spine Surgery and Joint Replacement, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, who immediately recommended medical intervention first in the form of a halo-gravity therapy followed by a surgical procedure. Any kind of delay could have left the girl paralyzed from the neck down or would have been life threatening caused due respiratory failure.Leading the case, Dr Rajagopalan Krishnan, Senior Consultant Orthopedics, Spine Surgery and Joint Replacement, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said, ‘The whole surgery was high risk due to multiple and complex pathology in this child with undiagnosed cerebral palsy, undiagnosed cranio-cervical dislocation, severe spinal cord compression, cervical myelopathy, respiratory impairment, fragile skin, poor nutrition etc.On admission we first put her on halo-gravity therapy before directly doing the surgery. This therapy was essential because the deformity had been fixed for 12 years and we wanted to first do a gradual supervised stretching. This was mandatory because the dislocation had caused severe spinal cord compression, cervical myelopathy and syrinx in the cervico-medullary spinal cord and a direct surgery would have posed risk to life.Once the body responded to this procedure positively we did a 6 hour surgery (cranio-cervical surgery) to bring the left side dropped head up to centre position over the body, fix the corrected head/neck/trunk position in place with instrumentation and bony fusion.’

Hyderabad, September 7th, 2017 Australia’s only university-led academic health sciences center, Macquarie University has conferred an honorary doctorate to Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals. The conferral was to recognize her untiring efforts and resolute commitment to bring transformative changes in Indian healthcare, development of Health IT in India and championing manifold initiatives both in India and abroad.  Along with the conferral, Macquarie University and Apollo Hospitals have today celebrated the launch of their strategic collaboration that will facilitate long-term, mutually beneficial academic exchanges between the two organisations. As part of this collaboration, students from Macquarie’s four-year graduate-entry Doctor of Medicine program, the Macquarie MD, will complete five months of clinical learning at Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad as part of their degree.Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman-Founder, Apollo Hospitals who was at today’s event spoke highly of the new partnership with Macquarie University.“We’re moving more and more towards a world without borders. Here at Apollo, we’re so much more than an Indian community, we’re a global community, and anything we can do which adds value to that, is important to us. We have the infrastructure and people to help deliver and create global doctors and are pleased to be working with Macquarie on their innovative new MD program.The benefits for the students are numerous, for example the disease profiles of the two countries are completely different, providing students with an enriching learning experience. We also treat more than half a million patients a year here at Apollo, so the quantity and breadth of the clinical cases we have will be unlike those that the students will experience in Australia,” said Dr Reddy.Professor S Bruce Dowton, Vice-Chancellor Macquarie University commented – “We are incredibly proud to be working with Apollo Hospital. In looking at international collaborations we sought partners who share similar value sets, and who provide a quality and patient-centered model of care for our students to learn within. Apollo’s long-standing experience in the delivery of medical training, underpinned by its commitment to the achievement of excellence in clinical care made it the perfect partner for our MD program.”Recognizing the value of international learning, the program features extended quality-assured clinical experiences abroad for all students, including core clinical placements and selective opportunities at the Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad in addition to clinical placements in Sydney: at MQ Health, the Northern Sydney Local Health District (primarily within the Royal North Shore Hospital) and the MindSpo Clinic.The Macquarie MD program has received formal approval and accreditation from the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and Medical Board of Australia (MBA).The AMC, who visited Apollo Hospital earlier this year, commended ‘the clinical learning opportunities available at Apollo Hospital, and the commitment of the hospital’s clinicians and administration to facilitate the student experience during this rotation.

African on moon, after complex double hip replacementThe latest minimally invasive hip replacement procedure – Direct Hip Anterior (DHA), performed for the first time in IndiaHyderabad, March 22nd, 2018: Orthopedic Surgeons at Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills, led by Dr P Sharat Kumar, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, provided succor to a 53-year-old Somalian patient, Mr Mukhtar Hilowli, by performing a double hip replacement using the latest minimally invasive procedure – the Direct Hip Anterior, for the first time in India. This was announced at a press conference by Dr P Sharat Kumar and Dr Hari Prasad, President, Hospitals Division, Apollo Hospitals.  Both the hips of Mr Mukhtar Hilowli got fused following a severe bout of infection, way back in 1986. The hip joint comprises of femoral head (ball like) and acetabulum (socket). For easy movement of the hips the femoral head moves in the acetabulum. In his case due to infection in both right and left hip joints the normal cartilage on femoral head and acetabulum was destroyed and caused fusion of femoral head and acetabulum.The two bones at the hip joint fused and became one, depriving him of the normal hip joint movement, says Dr Hari Prasad.The fusing of hips joints led to his hips losing the natural maneuverability and made his day to day life miserable. He had an abnormal gait on account of this, which made movement on his two legs arduous. His normal routine was impaired during the prime of his life and had to endured the trauma for the last 31 years. His ordeal only amplified in recent times, as he also developed pain in both knee joints and lower back, which was due to his abnormal posture and excess stress on these joints.After exhausting various options of treatment, he approached Dr Paripati Sharat Kumar on December 29th, 2017. After thorough examination and investigations, Mr Hilowli underwent sequential bilateral total hip replacements, with the right hip being replaced first on December 30th, 2017, followed by the left hip replacement on February 15th, 2018.According to Dr Sharat, the conversion of a fused hip joint is extremely complex and challenging, due to excess blood loss, poor bone and soft tissue quality and difficulty in orientation as evidence of joint surface is completely obliterated. As the joints had fused more than 3 decades ago, the surgery itself was quite demanding.In a first of its kind in India, Dr Sharat used the latest and minimally invasive procedure –Direct anterior approach. This is considered the most preferred choice in hip surgery off-late, globally. The conventional approach involves making a long incision and cutting muscle that support and stabilize hip joint. While in direct anterior approach, the muscles areseparated to reach and expose the hip joint through a 3 to 4-inch incision on the front of the hip. He elected this approach as the patient’s strength was poor around his hips and the joint stability would be further compromised by the conventional approach. Also pain and bleeding is relatively less and rehabilitation is quicker. The patient has since recovered well and is undergoing physiotherapy and rehabilitation. He is eagerly looking forward to go home and is wondering what his friends and relatives would call him now as he was for 3 decades nick named “the Crooked Gaited” says Dr Sharat.About Apollo HospitalsIt was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap Reddy made a pioneering endeavour by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospital in Chennai. Now, as Asia largest and most trusted healthcare group, its presence includes 8,488 beds across 51 Hospitals, 1,586 Pharmacies, 92 Primary Care and Diagnostic Clinics, 100 Telemedicine units across 10 countries. Health Insurance services, Global Projects Consultancy, 15 colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research and the first Proton Therapy Centre across Asia, Africa and Australia.In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For more than 28 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.   

Apollo Elder Care centre to render specialised care under one roofHyderabad, September 6th, 2017 : Renowned Film Director Sri K Viswanadh, inaugurated the Apollo Geriatric Clinic on Wednesday at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills. Ms Sangita Reddy, Jt. Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals; Dr Hari Prasad, President, Apollo Hospitals & Dr Vasanth Kumar, Senior Consultant – Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Apollo Hospitals, briefed media about the Apollo Geriatric Clinics, on the occasion.  This exclusive center for the elderly, will be a comprehensive centre to diagnose the patient, comprehend his medical background and offer customized care. In the first phase of the launch, the service will be available at Hyderabad.It is a specialised geriatric care initiative where proficient geriatricians and allied medical professionals provide comprehensive geriatric assessment to address all-round needs of a patient and recommend the best treatment approach.The dedicated Geriatric Care centre has four zones – Out Patient Care, In Patient Care, Emergency Care and Home Health Care. It will offer comprehensive physical, cognitive and psychosocial assessment, a personal care plan, recommendations to improve health and functional ability, rehabilitation, safe use of medicines and will address home and emergency care for the elderly.Health issues facing the elderly can be very complex and puzzling. The elderly often suffer from more than one medical problem and have conditions that can be obscured by unusual symptoms. At Apollo, we felt that elderly care needs a special environment and attention that can help them improve their functional ability, physical health, cognition and general well being, says Ms Sangita Reddy.“Though population ageing is a global phenomenon, India faces a specific demographic challenge with about 8 percent of the population is over the age of 65 in 2014, and this number is expected to grow up to 20 percent by 2050. This necessitates healthy ageing as a chief prerequisite for the Indian population, and a holistic approach to their health needs is one of the current foci of the Indian health sector” says Dr Hari Prasad. As a latest edge of Apollo Hospitals’ constant thrive to innovate healthcare delivery, and dedicated to the overall health and welfare of the elderly, Apollo Elder Care follows a holistic methodology that employs the best ways to maintain or improve functional ability, physical health, cognition and mental health of our senior populace.The core treatment facilities available at the centre includes care towards preventing and managing fractures, dizziness (vision care), memory loss, depression, psychological revitalization, vaccinations, fatigue, unsteadiness or weakness, physiotherapy, diet counseling and medicine management.As an exclusive and holistic care program to geriatric patients from Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Elder Care provides the following comprehensive solutions:Comprehensive physical, cognitive & psycho-social assessmentDevelopment of a personal care planSuper-specialists recommended surgical programsAid in post-operative or post illness recovery (rehabilitation)Recommendations to improve health & functional abilityA highly trained multi-disciplinary team at Apollo Elder Care treats and also monitors its implementation – ensuring that the health and social care services are aligned to achieve the best outcomes. The team will also coordinates with all the relevant medical caregivers, making the treatment convenient and safe.   

Very few Centers have the caliber & expertise to treat Bone Marrow stem cell disorderThis Center for Excellence is geared to take on challenging and complex casesHyderabad, June 7th, 2017: Apollo Cancer Institute, Hyderabad, accomplished a rare distinction of treating successfully three patients with acute blood cancer ailments, who were in a precarious condition, when they came to the hospital. These patients were suffering from rare Bone Marrow Stem Cell Disorders of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH) – a bone marrow stem cell disease, which leads to rapid destruction of red cells; Biphenotypic Acute Leukemia ¬- a rare type of Blood cancer with less than 8% survival rate and Aplastic Anaemia – a disease of Bone marrow, which curtails blood cells production. The matching stem cell donor for one of the patients was from distant Germany as no such donor was available here.Briefing media about the stupendous accomplishment Dr Padmaja Lokireddy, Consultant Haemato oncology and Stem cell Transplant, Apollo Cancer Institute; Mr Y Subramaniam, CEO and Dr Ravindra Babu, Medical Superintendent, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad; said, stem cell transplant is cure for many blood disorders; Apollo Cancer Institute is one of the few Centers in the country with the necessary expertise and is geared to provide succor to such patients, at a Press Conference on Wednesday at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad. The patients were also present on the occasion.Mr Biswajit Saha, a 37 year old farmer hailing from Assam, was suffering from rare bone marrow stem cell disorder called PNH (Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria), which occurs in 1 amongst a 10 lakh population. He was suffering with Anaemia, red colored urine due to breakage of his red blood cells for the last two years. Such patients develop blood clots in the main blood vessels and if left untreated can develop life threatening heart and lung problems. Saha was transfused with blood at regular intervals, at times 3 units a week. His visits to several doctors couldn’t get him relief and was mostly misdiagnosed and treated for a liver ailment. His condition deteriorated over time as he had developed lung and heart problems and was breathless on minimal exertion. That’s when he approached Apollo Cancer Institute, Hyderabad and our diagnosis identified it as PNH. The option available for Saha was an antibody treatment called Eculizumab(solaris), to be taken every week for lifetime. This medication is not available currently in India and is also way beyond his means, costing Rs 8 lakhs per week. Therefore the second-best treatment option was bone marrow Transplant. He has undergone the first PNH transplant in India (to the best of our Knowledge) four months ago, with the bone marrow donated by his brother. He has since recovered fully and is going about with his daily routine, in his village. Since the transplant he has not needed any blood transfusion and his lung and heart functions reverted to normal.A thirty one year old mother of two, Mrs Kavitha, was diagnosed with Biphenotypic Acute Leukemia, a lethal ailment with two different types of blood cancers – acute Myeloid and Acute Lymphoid Leukemia, manifesting simultaneously. She had 98% disease in the bone marrow, in the chest and abdomen, cancer cells were detected even in the brain. The survival rate of patients with this type of leukemia was a dismal 8%. The initial dose of chemotherapy proved futile as the disease in her was virulent and had to take recourse to administering two other aggressive types of chemotherapy to gain control over it. However, the permanent cure was to perform a Bone marrow transplant on her. The strong dosage of chemotherapy took a serious toll on her condition and had to be infused with nutritional support through her veins daily, to improve her weight and prepare her for a Transplant. The next seemingly insurmountable challenge we had on our hand was not finding a matching donor from amongst her family members and our attempt to locate a full match for her in the Indian, German and American registries proved in vain. We had to compromise with a donor of a different blood group with 90% match from Bangalore. The Transplant performed with all the associated challenges was of very high risk and extremely complex. Subsequent to the transplant she contracted Cytomegalovirus virus infection, she fought through it and has now crossed 100 days which is a giant milestone in the transplant process. Her blood test reveals 99% of Donor DNA type which gives reassurance that her Leukemia is cured.The third patient, Mrs Prathima a 32 year old lady was diagnosed with Aplastic anaemia three years ago and had very low platelet count and anaemia. Such patients are highly susceptible to infections and need regular blood and platelet transfusion. The initial option of Horse serum (ATG) treatment did not have long lasting success. The only chance of cure for her was bone marrow Transplantation, for which she came to Apollo Cancer Institute, Hyderabad. She didn’t have a matching family donor, our search for a full 100% matching donor helped locate one in Germany. We had donor stem cells collected and airlifted fresh within 24 hours from there. Since her transplant she had not had any major complications and didn’t need any platelet transfusions.It’s a moment of immense fulfillment for me and the entire team at Apollo Cancer Institute, Hyderabad, for successfully treating patients with three complex and rare blood cancer ailments needing bone marrow transplantation. The outcome being on par with the best international institutions, gives us the impetus to take on bigger challenges and be the center of excellence for treating complex blood cancer ailments in this part of the world, says Dr Padmaja Lokireddy.About Apollo HospitalsIt was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap Reddy made a pioneering endeavor by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospital in Chennai. Now, as Asia largest and most trusted healthcare group, its presence includes more than 10000 beds across 65 Hospitals, 2000 Pharmacies, 92 Primary Care and Diagnostic Clinics, 100 Telemedicine units across 10 countries. Health Insurance services, Global Projects Consultancy, 15 colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research and the first Proton Therapy Center across Asia, Africa and Australia.In a rare honor, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For more than 30 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.