Prof. Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) had announced this achievement that was performed on two young girls. He said the feat achieved was carried out by a team of surgeons led by Dr Neville Solomon, Consultant, Pediatric & Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals Chennai, India. The CMD described Dr. Solomon as a world renowned Cardiac surgeon who performs over 3, 000 heart surgeries free around the world in a year. “The strategic partnership is of two benefits: first is that it exposes our patients to the highest quality of surgical care comparable to that which is obtainable anywhere in the world,” Olatinwo said. He said the collaboration with Apollo Hospital would also facilitate skills transfer to the Teaching Hospital’s Cardiac care team so that they could carry out subsequent surgery.    

Apollo Hospitals, Kakinada has been formally accredited by NABH – making it the 11th hospital in the group to be accredited. The Hospital is now the first NABH accredited group hospital in the re-formed state of Andhra Pradesh. Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, Dr. Hari Prasad (CEO- Central Region) & Mr. Karunakar (Vice President – HR) congratulated the team.  

Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – Apollo Institute for Blood Pressure Management has been selected by the World Hypertension League (WHL) for its office in South Asia. The Apollo family is proud for being selected as the South Asia Office of WHL (a WHO partner). We will now be able to spread awareness for better blood pressure control in India through our coalition with WHL/WHO. The South Asia office of WHL at Apollo will cover India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. Apollo in partnership with WHL is bound to reduce the burden for non-communicable diseases in South Asia. Noted pioneer in hypertension, Dr. C. Venkata S. Ram of Apollo Institute for Blood Pressure Management is the Director of South Asia centre of WHL located in the Apollo Health City, Hyderabad. Recently Dr. Daniel Lackland, Director and incoming President of WHL was in Hyderabad to meet Dr. Ram and go over the WHL plans for blood pressure control in India/South Asia through its regional office now located at the Apollo Jubilee Hills Campus/Hyderabad.  

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals has completed 10 years of accreditation by Joint Commission International (JCI). In July 2005, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals became the first hospital in India and the 6th in Asia to be accredited. JCI accreditation is the gold standard for international accreditation as it reflects provision of the highest levels of patient care and patient safety. An event was organized to mark the occasion. The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri. Manish Sisodia, Ms. Paula Wilson, CEO, JCI and Mr. PrabhuVinayagam, MD Asia Pacific Region, JCI graced the function on 30th July, 2015. Shri Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi congratulated the Apollo Hospitals Group and the entire team and also expressed his desire to replicate their committed efforts and excellence across the capital in several new health initiatives that the government is planning to set up. Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint MD, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “Apollo Hospitals has always been a fore-runner in quality improvement and patient safety. We were the first ones to bring the JCI accreditation to India and six of our hospitals are accredited today.” Mr. Jaideep Gupta, MD, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said “Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals has always set benchmarks in patient care, clinical research protocols and healthcare delivery systems. The JCI accreditation is a testimony to Apollo Hospitals’ constant endeavor to provide world-class patient care and maintain highest standards in healthcare delivery systems in India.” Speaking about the accreditation, Dr. AnupamSibal, Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals Groupsaid, “The JCI accreditation is a recognition and reiteration of Apollo Hospitals’ commitment to provide healthcare services of International standards in the country. Our endeavor is to provide excellent clinical outcomes and accreditation has helped us in this”.    

At the event, the CD on “175 cases Advanced Fever Clinic” was released by Dr. Preetha Reddy – Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals and was received by Kavingnar Vairamuthu. The CD on “Text Book of Medicine” was released by Prof. Dr. K. V. Thiruvengadam and was received by Dr. D. Shantharam – Vice Chancellor Tamil Nadu Dr. M. G. R. University. The CD & Book on “Poisoning Drug Over Dose” was released by Mr. R.S. Munirathinam – Chairman RMK group of colleges and was received by Mr. R. Sekar – I.P.S, Director General of Police – Vigilance / TANGEDCO Chennai.

Apollo Children’s Hospital has once again showcased its expertise and technical know-how on implementing some of the latest technologies for the benefit of the patients. Surgeries performed at Apollo Children’s Hospital using the da Vinci Robot provides patients with all the advantages like quicker discharge time, reduced discomfort and pain, minimal scarring, smaller incisions, enhanced magnification, greater accuracy, better precision and less blood loss that conventional Laparoscopy offers over open surgeries. Highlighting the need for awareness on Robotic surgeries, doctors and experts said that even though Robotic procedures have proven to be highly precise and targeted, the expertise, infrastructure and referrals by many doctors is minimal hindering the development of Robotic surgeries in Chennai. Dr. Venkat Sripathi, Senior Consultant Paediatric Urologist says, “The magnification and 3D view that robotics offers helps us navigate in a targeted manner and complete the procedure without affecting neighbouring cells and tissues which is crucial in Paediatrics.” Elaborating on how Robotics helped in the treatment of 3 year old Aditya Somani, Dr. Sripathi said, “Aditya had urine flowing back to his kidneys, a condition called Vesico-Ureteral Reflux, and an obstruction, the combination of which had caused damage to the kidney requiring urgent surgery. With the help of Robotics, we completed the procedure in 1 hour and 45 minutes reducing the child’s discomfort and helping him recover quite immediately. The block was removed, ureter reattached to the bladder and fixed in a way to prevent urine backflow into the kidneys.” Another interesting case is that of 5 year old Bhargavi who was suspected to have a block outside the kidney. The space constraint outside the patient’s kidney made it difficult to consider a conventional surgery as that would have required the doctors to make a large incision to approach the kidney which could have been complicated. However with Robotics, given its superb magnification and manoeuvring capabilities, helped the team of doctors to remove the block in just 1.5 hours. “At Apollo, we have always believed that harnessing the right technology and entrusting it in skilful hands can help work miracles. If you have the expertise, your battle is half won already. The only area we then focus our energies on is to ensure that our patients are well counselled on the techniques we will be adopting to cure them or their loved ones so that we can allay any fears that may be in their minds. We are a privileged lot today as our clinical excellence continues to give hopes to many and makes decision making far easier for patients with the availability of cutting edge technology within their reach,” added Ms. Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals.  

The patient from Jharkhand sustained grievous injuries when his two-wheeler collided with a moving train and was shifted to the hospital by train. The incident has also highlighted the importance of a quality trauma care for emergency situations. Mr. Vijay Kumar Singh (55) from Chirkunda, Jharkhand, was riding a two wheeler when he collided with a moving train sustaining multiple injuries. Mr. Singh was diagnosed with an open book pelvic fracture, fracture sacrum, fracture of all spinous processes of lumbar vertebrae, fractured dorsal spine, multiple fractured ribs on both sides, blood in abdomen (Hemoperitoneum), and blood in chest (Haemothorax). Although he was immediately rushed to a hospital in Kolkata, his condition worsened prompting his family to look for other options. Dr. Balaji Srinivasan, Consultant Orthopedic surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai was consulted and following his advice, a doctor and nurse travelled to Kolkata and helped shift Mr. Singh to Chennai by train. Mr. Singh was admitted to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai on July 8th. A major 5 hour pelvic surgery was performed, in which a 1 inch key hole was used to fix the big sacral pelvic fracture. The fixation is so stable that the patient has already been mobilized and is on a wheelchair ready to travel back to his hometown in less than 72 hrs. Commenting about the importance of trauma care, Dr. Balaji Srinivasan said, “Trauma care is as important as any other discipline in medicine and it is crucial that every hospital has the necessary comprehensive medical services in place. Thanks to the facilities and expertise available at Apollo Hospitals, Mr. Singh is now able to return safely back to his hometown.”  

Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the first telemedicine link between India and Central Asia and witnessed a Tele-consultation with Apollo Hospitals Delhi for a cardiac patient. The Tele-consultation for a cardiac patient happened between doctors in Osh city in Southern Kyrgyzstan, with doctors in Bishkek and with Apollo hospital and AIIMS in Delhi.    

A 14 year old boy was admitted in Apollo Children’s Hospital, Chennai with severe Hypertension and a tumor in the chest. He was evaluated by Endocrinologist, Dr.S.Ramkumar. Investigations showed very high level of adrenaline in blood and a MIBG Scan confirmed the chest tumor and Hypertension due to a rare tumor called Paraganglioma. The child was planned for Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) by Thoracic Surgeon, Dr.Rajiv Santosham. Tumors like Paraganglioma and Pheochromocytoma secrete excess catecholamines like adrenaline in the blood and cause uncontrolled swings in blood pressure during surgery. So his blood pressure was optimally controlled with medicines prior to surgery. After complete control of blood pressure, Dr. Rajiv Santosham successfully performed VATS to remove the tumor. Intra-operative course was managed by Anaesthetists, Dr. Sanjay Prabhu and Dr. Anuradha. Paraganglioma and Pheochromocytoma are rare catecholamine adrenaline secreting tumors. While Pheochromocytoma occurs in the adrenal glands, Paragangliomas are extra-adrenal and occurs in the abdomen, head, neck and chest. Paragangliomas secrete adrenaline in an uncontrolled fashion and cause serious health problems including stroke, heart attack, and even death. In the child’s case, Paraganglioma was identified in his chest in mediastinum. This is the first time VATS has been reported to remove mediastinal paraganglioma in a child in India. After VATS, his blood pesssure normalised without anti-hypertensive drugs and he was discharged without any medicines. VATS- Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery is a Minimally Invasive surgical technique in the chest. During VATS, a tiny camera (Thoracoscope) and surgical instruments are inserted into the chest through small incisions. The thoracoscope transmits images of the inside of the chest onto a video monitor, guiding the surgeon in performing the procedure. The traditional surgery done for these tumors was by open surgery called thoracotomy.When compared to thoracotomy, VATS result in less pain and shorten recovery time. CT and MIBG images of the tumor  

More than 1,000 delegates and faculty drawn from across the world attended the conference and it was thought to be one of the best and most attended conference in the Asia Pacific region. The programme kicked off with an introductory speech by Course Chairman, Dr. (Prof.) N N Khanna, Advisor- Apollo Group of Hospitals, Dr. Michel Henry, Luxembourg, and Course Director, Dr. Saroj Das from Imperial College of London. Dr. Amal Kumar Banerjee (Past President, CSI, API and SAARC Society of Cardiology) and Dr. H K Chopra (President, CSI) were present along with Dr. Clifford Buckley (President, ISES, USA), Dr. Jacques Busquet (Ambassador, ISES, France) and Dr. T J Collins (Governor, SCAI, USA). The field of Endovascular Interventions is rapidly growing as its Minimally Invasive techniques offer an immediate and long termadvantageover traditional surgery. 35 International and about 80 National experts concluded that Endovascular Intervention today is state-of-the-art treatment for – Peripheral Arterial Diseases, Carotid Artery Stenosis, Failed or failing dialysis access, Aneurysms of Aorta, Deep vein thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Varicose veins, Critical Limb Ischemia, Internal Pudendal Artery Stenting for Male Erectile Dysfunction, and Interventions for Acute Stroke, etc. The International Faculty included many of the acknowledged pioneers and innovators in the field, such as Dr. Alain Cribier (France), who is the inventor of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation, Dr. Michel Henry (Luxembourg), Dr. Clifford Buckley (USA), Dr. T J Collins (USA), Dr. Jacques Busquet (France), Dr. Amira Benjelloun (Morocco), Dr. Frank Criado (USA), Dr. Ramesh Adiraju (USA), Dr. Saroj Das (UK), Dr. Dai Do Do (Switzerland), Dr. Jaafer Golzar (USA), Dr. Sherif Sultan (Ireland) and Dr. Victor Costache (Romania), Dr. M Bouayed (Algeria), Dr. Hugo Rio Tinto (Portugal), Dr. K K Yeo (Singapore) and Mr. Noureddine Frid (Belgium), inventor of Multilayer Flow Modulator. The format of the conference consisted of didactic lectures, Live Case Transmissions from various sites in Asia Pacific region, angiographic reviews of challenging cases, Iron Man Competition, and nine workshops with ample opportunities for interaction with faculty. Multilayer Flow Modulator (MFM) was launched in this Conference after its initial approval just a few days ago. The Course is intended to be a truly collaborative cross-specialty training event incorporating the “”Interventionalists”” of the present and the future.    

International Yoga day was celebrated across all our 55 hospitals, with over 2500 employees participating in a special Yoga session. “Yoga is a wonderful health system given to us by our gurus and we in India need to appreciate Yoga and the benefits it gives us in keeping ourselves healthy in mind and body”, said Chairman Dr. Prathap C Reddy. International Yoga Day is a clear indication of the acceptance of Yoga across the globe. We hope this is will inspire you to add Yoga to your daily routine. Go ahead, get fit and flexible the Yogic way!  

With a deep sense of satisfaction and gratitude towards our patients and the people of Madurai, we proudly present our first two successful liver transplants done at Apollo Specialty Hospitals, Madurai. The donors were identified within Trichy and Coimbatore respectively. Both the patients Mr. Sibnath Santara and Mr. Tulsidas Gautam were listed in the Tamil-Nadu cadaver transplant program with End Stage Liver Disease for a long time. Both transplants were completed smoothly and successfully and they were discharged from the hospital within 10 days of the surgery. Both are now ready to travel back to their native places to re-start normal lives. Executive Vice Chairperson Ms. Preetha Reddy added that Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Madurai has now joined the handful of centers in the country, with the technical expertise and infrastructure to perform such complex procedures. CEO, Southern Region, Apollo Hospitals Group Ms. Anne Marie Moncure appreciated all the consultants, technicians and all the administrative staff in their efforts in completing these complex surgeries. She expressed her wishes to the team to continue this kind of achievement in future. Speaking at the occasion, Dr SathyaBhama, DMS for Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Southern region, said that “”Apollo Hospitals have maintained leadership in areas of organ transplantation and organ donation and the story has now enfolded in southern Tamil-Nadu””. Dr Rohini Sridhar, COO and DMS of Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Madurai Division, said, “the symphonically orchestrated team work of the doctors and administrators at Apollo Madurai made the seemingly tough undertaking, feel like a breeze”. The patient Mr.Tulsidas, who was transplanted just 1 month ago, expressed his satisfaction for the fresh lease of life. Dr Anand Ramamurthy, Sr Consultant Liver Transplant Surgeon, who is actually the ‘son of the soil’ said “two liver transplants were successfully performed at the Temple city of Madurai. Life saving procedures for patients with liver failure are now available outside major metros”. Dr Anand K Khakhar, Program Director, Centre for Liver Disease and Transplantation Apollo Hospitals, said “We offer comprehensive care for patients with liver diseases. A lot of patients in need for liver transplantation are not adequately aware about the facilities and excellent outcomes now available to them within their reach.” Dr Anil Vaidya, Professor of Transplant Surgery at Oxford University and leading Pancreas transplant surgeon was impressed with the facilities available for complex transplant procedures in Apollo Madurai and mentioned that “facilities here are comparable to that at Chennai and Oxford as well, we can even offer pancreas transplantation to patients in Madurai”.