The FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards aims at felicitating organizations and individuals for their contribution to the industry by innovating for increased efficiency and improved performance of healthcare delivery at large. Apollo Hospitals Group won the FICCI Healthcare Excellence Award 2011, under the category of “”Addressing Industry Issues”” for the Apollo Clinical Excellence, ACE@25. This category of awards is to recognize innovations that address problems being faced by the Indian healthcare industry such as, taking healthcare to the masses, successful PPP model, CSR activity, reducing the cost of healthcare, enhancing availability of talent through training, etc. The awards were given in a grand ceremony held at Delhi for ‘Innovations leading to improved performance of Healthcare delivery’ by FICCI.

Apollo’s Hospital’s Neurosciences team successfully performs Deep Brain Stimulation surgery on second International patient ailing with Parkinson’s. With the intent to create greater awareness and to provide this benefit to more such patients ailing with chronic disorders, Apollo Hospitals launches Tamilnadu’s 1st Movement Disorder Clinic. Mr. Rahmatullah a 62-year-old patient from Swat Valley, Pakistan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease over 15 years ago. In August 2011, he underwent Deep Brain Stimulation at Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Chennai and has now recovered completely. He is the 2nd among Pakistani patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease who received treatment from the Neurosciences Specialists at Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Chennai. Both patients have recovered and are now in good health. Mr. Rahmatullah was tormented with Parkinson’s disease and was unable to perform even his day to day activities. Despite being under medication for more than 10 years, Mr. Rahmatullah did not experience any improvement and unfortunately the intake of drugs caused side effects leading to involuntary movements like dyskinesia. Speaking about Mr. Rahmatullah, the patient from Pakistan, the Super specialist team at Apollo Specialty Hospital, Chennai including Dr R. Ramnarayan, Consultant Functional Neurosurgeon and Dr. S. Yogaraj, Consultant Neurologist said, “”Even on high doses of medication, he patient’s condition was deteriorating and he was experiencing severe disability in walking and stiffness in his limbs. He had also grapple with a sleeping disorder, an unbalanced appetite and he also had lost urinary control. Based on these concerns, we had decided to perform a Deep Brain Stimulation, an innovative surgical procedure on the patient. According to Dr. Ram Narayan, Functional Neuro Surgeon, “”Prior to the surgery the patient was quite crippled with severe stiffness and dyskinesia and was completely bedridden. After the Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, he improved remarkably. Mr. Rahmatullah is now able to move around independently, the stiffness that he was experiencing for years has reduced and he can take care of his needs by himself now””. With the intent to create greater awareness and to provide this benefit to more such patients ailing with chronic disorders, Apollo Hospitals launches Tamilnadu’s 1st Movement Disorder Clinic. Highlights of the Movement Disorder Clinic at Apollo Hospitals Chennai: Clinical evaluation by Neurologists, well experienced in Movement Disorders (Movement Disorder Specialist) Investigations including high resolution MRI scans, Functional MRI, electrophysiology etc. Availability of special equipments including computerized gait training Specific assessments by neuropsychologists and physiotherapists, occupational therapist & speech therapist with genetic tests and counseling. Surgical treatment of selected movement disorders by functional Neurosurgeon (experienced in Movement Disorders surgery). Surgical treatment can be performed on patients diagnosed with select types of Parkinson’s disease, Essential tremor, Secondary tremors, and Hemidystonias, Tourette’s syndrome and other diseases. Parkinson’s affects 1 – 2% of the population above 60 yrs of age. In India it is seen amongst younger age group (up to 15%). Treatments of movement disorders like Parkinsonism are done predominantly by using special drugs and this is very effective in most cases. But many patients do also develop side-effects caused by usage of the drugs especially after 5-6 years of treatment. Such patients are surgical candidates. The surgical treatment offered for Parkinsonism is Sub Thalamic Nucleus (STN) Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a complex procedure, which involves inserting an electrode into the STN (deep in the brain) done under local anesthesia, where the main focus is on patient safety and adherence to a patented algorithm. This treatment is based on the premise that high frequency stimulation of the sub-thalamic nucleus (STN), deep in the brain, alleviates symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Stimulating electrodes are implanted in the STN using stereotactic neurosurgical navigation, supported by intra-operative neurophysiological monitoring. The electrodes are connected to a battery operated pulse generator, fixed under the skin (none of them are visible from the outside). The implanted pulse generator is programmed, from the outside, for optimal stimulation of the STN. Program parameters can be adjusted using an external programmer. The device can be switched on/off by the external programmer. Protocol beginnings from imaging to implantation, the steps of which are standard across all centers adapting the process, are followed rigidly. These Procedures are highly technical, sophisticated, and elaborate & required extensive training. Deep Brain Stimulation is also effective for other movement disorders like dystonias, essential tremors, some psychiatric disorders like Obsessive compulsive disease and chronic depression, severe alcoholism, severe chronic pain, uncontrolled seizures etc. Apollo Specialty hospital has the expertise and the equipment to take up treatment of these complex diseases and help thousands of such patients.

Doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi treat a woman of Subarachnoid Brain Hemorrhage, assumed as a case of cardiac disorder at other hospitals. Mr Umed Singh, a simple farmer from Ballabhgarh in Haryana had all the reasons to be restless and despondent. Condition of his 42 years-old wife, Mrs Omwati was deteriorating steadily and rapidly. They had been shuttling between hospitals but the doctors could not diagnose the appropriate cause of her deteriorating health. Her blood pressure was low; it required continuous intravenous infusion of two powerful medicines to boost it. She had become drowsy and was unable to respond coherently to even simple questions. It all started early in the morning when she experienced headache. She was drenched with sweat the very next moment and was complaining of pain in chest and palpitation. She had difficulty in breathing and continued to vomit regularly. “She is very serious” was all that was told by the doctors at the first hospital she was taken to. She underwent several tests, which included an ECG, a 2D echocardiogram and an x-ray of chest. She also underwent a CT scan of head. Doctors informed him that his wife had not one but two problems. She had a massive heart attack. Her heart was failing; it was working at only 20% its capacity. In addition to this, she also had massive brain hemorrhage – possibly due to a ruptured aneurysm. Mr. Umed admitted his wife to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. Medical problems of Mrs Omwati posed several challenges for the doctors at the Apollo Hospital. The ECG, 2D echocardiogram, x-ray chest and even the cardiac enzymes were strongly supporting the diagnosis of heart attack. Despite these, the doctors could quickly figure out that the “heart attack” was actually a manifestation of the brain hemorrhage. She was examined by a cardiologist and by Dr Pranav Kumar, Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon at Apollo Delhi. “We do see certain ECG changes in many patients of brain hemorrhage. In extremely rare cases, a hemorrhage can produce cardiac changes as severe as seen in this case. This was one of those extremely rare cases where subarachnoid hemorrhage (a type of brain hemorrhage) presents as typical heart attack (myocardial infarction). This is because of release of certain chemicals from the brain, which, in turn produces changes in the heart. Japanese doctors have called it Tako Tsubo syndrome. It has also been called “stunned myocardium”. Medically the disease is referred as subarachnoid hemorrhage induced cardiomyopathy,” said Dr Pranav Kumar. It took two days to stabilize her heart and the blood pressure. A subsequent coronary angiogram confirmed what the doctors had initially guessed. She did not have a “true” heart attack. The primary problem lay in brain, which required the main treatment while the heart only required supportive care. Once the heart had been stabilized, the doctors carried out a complex, six-hour microsurgery on her brain in which they put a titanium clip across the neck of the aneurysm she had. The aneurysm cannot rupture again. Though the surgery was successful, Omwati was not yet out of danger. She continued to require intensive care over the next few days. She recovered slowly. Tests carried out just before the discharge revealed almost complete recovery of heart. Dr Kumar says, “The symptoms of this syndrome are very similar to that of a Myocardial Infarction. Subarachnoid Brain Hemorrhage (SAH) induced cardiac changes can mimic acute MI. Such cardiac changes are completely reversible. Its presence, however severe, should not discourage the neurosurgeon or neurologist from pursuing appropriate management of SAH / aneurysm.” Omwati and Umed Singh feel that Dr Pranav Kumar had given her a new lease of life and is grateful to the entire staff at Apollo Hospitals, Delhi for instilling the confidence of living in her when she had lost all hopes.

Eastern India’s first dedicated comprehensive Level III Paediatric Care Facility – “”Apollo Gleneagles Children’s Centre”” was launched at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata by Ms.Preetha Reddy, Managing Director – Apollo Hospitals Group. What is Multiple Sclerosis? Combining the experience of Asia’s largest healthcare group, Apollo Hospitals and Singapore’s Parkway Health along with the expertise of some of the best paediatric specialists in the country, Apollo Gleneagles Children’s Centre (AGCC) delivers care in an atmosphere that’s friendly and cheerful. A multi-specialty centre within the campus of Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, it provides a range of services in the specialties of Critical Care, Cardiology, Neurology, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Orthopaedics, Paediatric Surgery, Neonatal Medicine, Adolescent Medicine, Radiology and Dentistry for newborns, children and adolescents all under a single roof. The key features of AGCC are: Ms. Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group said during the launch, “Apollo Hospitals have been the frontrunners in providing the best paediatric care in the country. Our hospitals are known for introducing new technologies and the team of paediatric specialists are relentlessly offering their expertise and services to help our thousands of 8 bedded Level III Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) 4 bedded Paediatric High Dependency Unit (HDU) 8 bedded Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit (NNICU) Standard, Semi Private, Private and Deluxe Beds Entertainment and Gaming Zone Children Library Child Development Centre (CDC) little patients who need world class paediatric care. We are committed to bring all treatment modalities to provide Tertiary and Quaternary Level Pediatric Care in our hospitals”. She also added, “The health needs of children are unique and different. Apollo Gleneagles Children’s Centre’s objectives are to make a world of difference in health care and well-being of children, adolescents and their families by integrating medical care, education and research to provide the highest quality care and specialized healthcare services under one roof for all children.” Among present during the launch were Dr Rupali Basu, CEO – Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Dr V R Ramanan, Director – Medical Services (Eastern Region) and the renowned paediatric consultants of Apollo Gleneagles Children’s Centre.

Superbrands, the independent authority and arbiter of branding, awarded India’s most powerful brands. Apollo Hospitals was among the top 10 business superbrands of 2011. The top 10 business superbrands of 2011 are: 1. ACC; 2. Adani; 3. Amadeus; 4. Anchor; 5. Apollo Hospitals; 6. Bharat Petroleum; 7. BILT; 8. Birla White; 9. Blue Dart and 10. Blue Star. The Apollo Hospitals Group was the only healthcare provider to be featured in the top 10 powerful brands. Speaking during the event, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, CEO, Superbrands Worldwide Limited said, “While India is still an emerging market there is no doubt that these Superbrands will play an exceptional role as the Indian economic juggernaut gains greater momentum.” Hundreds of leading Indian brands were evaluated first by a very knowledgeable group of brand-savvy citizens and then by the Superbrands Council which comprised some of the country’s most outstanding marketing minds. Only brands that achieved a very high level of recognition were invited to participate in the Business Superbrands book.

Apollo Hospitals has launched its first Apollo Day Surgery at Alwarpet in Chennai. An innovative healthcare facility, it has been designed to provide comprehensive healthcare services to address all the health related needs of a family. It is a dedicated facility for minor surgeries requiring short-stay. Apollo Day Surgery was inaugurated by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder-Executive Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group in the honorary presence of Mr. Andrew T Simkin, Consul General, US Consulate Chennai and Mr. Ajit Singh, Consul General, Consulate of The Republic of Singapore, Chennai. Apollo Hospitals’ keen focus on minimally invasive surgeries was the genesis of this dedicated facility for Day Surgeries or minor surgeries requiring duration of just 60 minutes or less in the Operation Theatre. Apollo Day Surgery is committed to early mobilization while maximizing patient convenience. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Founder-Executive Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “”Apollo Day Surgery represents innovation and is a unique world-class ambulatory offering for enhanced patient convenience. Apollo Day Surgery, a contemporary, state-of-the art facility has been designed to motivate patients going in for elective surgeries and also those requiring short-stay surgeries with an offering that allows them to return home within the same day and recuperate in a familiar environment. I am confident that this new offering from Apollo Hospitals will soon surpass all patient satisfaction benchmarks””. Dr.Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, Group, added, “”The healthcare revolution in India catalyzed by Apollo Hospitals witnessed its beginnings at the erstwhile HM Hospitals, located in Alwarpet. So, it seemed just right to introduce this pioneering healthcare delivery endeavour – Apollo Day Surgery at Alwarpet. Apollo Day Surgery, co-located with Apollo Clinics, Apollo Emergency 24×7, Apollo Chest Pain Clinics and Apollo Pharmacy, offers a comprehensive and complete spectrum of healthcare services for the entire family””. Facilities at Apollo Day Surgery and Apollo Clinics, Alwarpet: State of art infrastructure spread over 5 floors offering Super-Specialist consultations across multiple specialties Ultra-modern Apollo Day Surgery facility spread over 4 floors, with a suite of 3-Operation Theatres with Laminar Flow, 16-Day beds and a dedicated Recovery bay Apollo Family Clinic with 12-consultation rooms and an Endoscopy suite An entire floor exclusively for Apollo Hospitals’ suite of Preventive Health Checks Comprehensive Laboratory and Radiology services An Emergency bay that provides 24×7 Emergency care Apollo Chest Pain Clinic in readiness for Cardiac emergencies 24×7 Apollo Pharmacy stocked with OTC and ethical medicine and surgical disposables First-rate surgical support for minor procedures   Patients and their families can contact the teams at Apollo Day Surgery by calling at 044-24672200 / 24988865 / 66 / 67 or send across a mail daysurgeryalwarpet_cni@apollohospitals.com for any healthcare assistance.

Mrs. Kamal Vadera, an 82 year old woman from Delhi came to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi with a history of cardiac problem, hypothyroidism, hypertension and breast cancer. She suffered a breathlessness attack in October 2010 when she had gone to visit her daughter in Mumbai. At that time, evaluation revealed no cardiac problems and after a few weeks of rest she came back to Delhi. After 2 months she again suffered an attack of breathlessness and was taken to a local hospital in Delhi where she was diagnosed with a cardiac problem. Because of her age, the doctors at other hospitals in the city advised her not to go undergo a surgery as it involved a lot of risks including death. “”My children were very tensed because of my condition and consulted many senior doctors in Delhi but in vain. Everybody had suggested me not to undergo an operation since it involved the risk of death. Then we consulted Dr B N Das at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals who told us about the new technique which could save my life,”” recalls Mrs. Kamal Vadera. She further explains, “”Dr Das gave me the strength to undertake the surgery and showed me the confidence that I could lead a normal life post the operation.”” The procedure is most commonly performed for a condition called aortic stenosis, where the valve fails to open properly. A multidisciplinary team of doctors led by Dr B N Das, Senior Consultant, Cardiothoracic Surgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals carried out a successful Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery. In this case, the surgery was prone to risk because of the age of the patient and also because the patient was refused treatment at other hospitals, the doctors had to be extra careful. “”Aortic valve replacement is a cardiac surgery procedure in which a patient’s failing aortic valve is replaced with an alternate healthy valve. The aortic valve can be affected by a range of diseases; the valve can either become leaky (aortic insufficiency / regurgitation) or partially blocked (aortic stenosis). Aortic valve replacement is an open heart surgery and requires a lot of expertise especially in the case of older patients,”” explains Dr B N Das, Senior Consultant, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. He further adds, “”It is critical to note that not all patients experience symptoms prior to aortic valve replacement surgery. Patients can be asymptomatic — without symptoms — and still suffer from severe aortic valve disease. It is for this reason that patients diagnosed with aortic valve disease, or even a tiny murmur, should actively monitor the condition of their heart over time via regular echocardiograms.”” Mrs Kamal Vadera underwent a 2 hour long surgery on 13 April 2011 and is now leading a normal life. She feels that Dr B N Das had given her a new lease of life and is grateful to the entire staff at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals for instigating the confidence of living in her when she had lost all hopes.

Mr Sundar Raj aged 37 years an electrical engineer by profession can now hope to return to his work in a few months time. He had a tryst with destiny when he was involved in an industrial accident on June 3rd, 2011 and got his arm cut-off. He had a call to attend to a fault in a crane at his work spot at the Chennai port trust premises. Normally his team has four members who move around in a small van within the port. Since the call was for a minor fault he decided to go alone. After finishing his job he was on his way back to his room hoping to pack for home, as his shift was to end in about 10 minutes. However, fate had other plans for him. He tried to negotiate his van between two stationery container lorries and within seconds he found his right upper limb missing from his body. He had the shock of his life when he looked out and found his limb on the ground – he had had a total amputation of his limb. But Sunder Raj was not going to give up. Being all alone he got out of his vehicle, picked up his amputated limb and walked towards his friends seeking help. He was then rushed by the Apollo hospital ambulance to our hospital with the severed limb well preserved in ice. He was seen by the EMR staff and our registrars who resuscitated him and got him ready for surgery. He had sustained a total amputation of his right upper limb at the level of the distal humerus. He needed to have a reimplantation of the cut-off arm and this involved a team of surgeons who would have to work over the next several hours getting his limb reattached. The patient was soon on the operating table when Dr. Gayatri Krishnan Consultant Anaethetist and her team began to work on him to anaesthetize him. He needed to have a good IV access for various fluid and blood transfusions, arterial lines to monitor his pressures, warming of his body and his intravenous fluids and other monitoring devices. While this was being done, the plastic surgical team of Dr. Manjushree Naik and Dr. Ganapathy Krishnan started working on the amputated part. It had to be initially washed with several liters of saline to clean it of all contaminants. Next the muscles and the major nerves of the limb had to be identified and tagged as also the arteries and veins. The artery/vein was then flushed with heparinised saline to wash out the clots and keep the lumen patent. Once the patient was anaesthetized the orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Balaji Srinivasan, got ready to fix his bone. This was done with plate and screws and bony stabilization was achieved. Next the cut nerves, arteries and veins in the arm were identified and the muscles were sutured back. Dr. N Sekar, Vascular surgeon had now to do the vascular repair getting the artery and vein repaired back in place and this established the circulation to the limb. The anaesthesia team had to carefully monitor him now as he could go into a dreaded complication called reperfusion injury wherein once the circulation to an ischemic part is restored the collected toxic metabolites could enter the main circulation and cause several abnormalities. Sunder Raj was lucky not to have any such problem. After the circulation was reassessed and found to be fine the plastic team got to work repairing the major nerves, which are important for the future functioning of the hand. The exposed nerves and arteries/veins were also covered with a local muscle flap to protect them. To avoid a complication called compartmental syndrome the skin and the deeper layers of tissues on the forearm were cut and left open to release the pressure within the muscles, which was bound to develop. With this ended the almost 6 hour effort of the team of surgeons and anaesthetist to reattach the amputated limb and it was a happy ending. Sunder Raj had an uneventful post operative period. After 5 days he was taken back to the OR to assess his wound, which was found to be healthy. At this stage the open wound in the forearm was covered by a skin graft taken from his thigh. At periodic intervals his wounds were examined and all his wounds had healed and he also had a good take of the skin graft. All the while he was monitored closely and was on various medications to avoid complications and to maintain a good blood flow and also needed multiple blood transfusions. Fortunately for him he developed no complications and was discharged after 2 weeks in a stable condition with a viable upper limb. Complete amputation at the arm level is luckily quite rare and reimplantation at that level has the highest failure rate. The amount of muscle bulk below the level of the amputation which becomes ischemic is what causes the failure of the procedure. The factors that were favourable in our case were : Age of the patient with no associated medical diseases. The fact that the Plastic Surgery team were able to advise the emergency exactly how to store the amputated limb – it needs to be wrapped in moist saline gauze and placed in an empty polythene packet, which in turn needs to be placed in a packet filled with ice – never should the part be put directly into saline or be in direct contact with ice.. Since there is very little awareness about this among the lay public and also the health workers the opportunity to salvage the limb is lost many a time due to improper storage. The speed with which we could mobilize the case so that the vascular anastomosis could be done within the ideal ischemic time. The excellent team work by the various specialists.   The road back to complete recovery for the patient is going to be a long one. Though the limb is viable it is not functional yet. The nerves will need to grow from the repaired site up to the tips of the fingers. The rate of growth is approximately one mm per day. He now needs to be on regular physiotherapy to prevent atrophy of his muscles and tendons as well as stiffness of his joints and also needs to have periodic assessment to monitor the functional recovery in the hand. He may even need some ancillary reconstructive procedures at a later date. But as with everything in life, ‘a job well begun is half done’. The day he is back to his usual profession would be the happiest day for the surgeon.

Prof. Dr. K. Ganapathy, President, Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation was invited to deliver a key note address at the mHealth Summit organized by GSMA and the mHealth alliance. More than 600 delegates from 30 different countries took part in this meeting. Dr.Ganapathy, President, Telemedicine Society of India signed a MOU with American Telemedicine Society to further close collaboration between India and the USA in the field of Telemedicine. The ATA is the world’s largest Telemedicine society and their desire to have a formal relationship with the TSI speaks volume for the growth of Telemedicine in India. Apollo Hospitals is pleased to have played a major role in this. For more details, please visit http://www.mobilehealthlive.org/articles/keynote-health-professionals-have-to-lead-mhealth-market/1414/

Apollo Hospitals will render specialist health services in Tanzania following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) between India and Tanzania. Three agreements were signed between India and Tanzania on Friday, among which the first one was a joint venture to increase trade and small-scale industries between the two nations. The second was to start a chain of Indian hospitals especially known for heart treatments in association with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Tanzania. The third agreement was an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Apollo Hospitals Chairman Dr. C Prathap Reddy said that the prime motive of the group’s venture in the African nation would be to spread awareness and render preventive health care. “I am glad that we are at Tanzania, but this is not the beginning or the end of it. There are a lot of expansions going on. We are into 360 degrees of health care. This is why I have said that we have excelled in clinical excellence. We have got the service excellence, technological excellence, but using technology we are trying to build 360 degree of health in bringing awareness, bringing prevention, we have done world’s largest preventive check- ups apart (from) treating 20 million people, ” Dr. Reddy said. He further mentioned the concentration of their hospitals in Tanzania would be to provide world-class health facilities to the patients. This is going to be a brand new land, virgin land on which we are going to build a hospital which will suit our design to deliver tertiary and cardiac care hospital for people who do not have to go to other place majority of times.

Apollo centre for liver disease and transplantation has completed 100 liver transplantations in less than 4 years with over 90% success rate, creating a milestone in the history of medicine. There is a noticeable rise in the cases of liver diseases in India which will result in a greater need for treatment in the coming future than the current availability. As a pioneer in the healthcare sector, Apollo Hospitals is fortifying the facilities throughout the country to meet and battle the need. Addressing the Media, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “”Apollo is the only healthcare unit in India to establish a world class facility for an independent liver transplantation program. We offer the patients comfort and care in all aspects of treatment and we also try to provide them a compound financial package which helps them in planning and accounting expenses. Understanding that liver treatment is still an expensive cure in India, we are also working with leading financial institutions for easy arrangement of finances for the patients and their next of kin.”” He further added, “”Apollo Chennai has the largest and only cadaver transplant department in the country. This is again a benchmark in the Indian healthcare scenario where every other program consists of living transplants which is a troublesome process involving the patient and a donor.”” Elaborating on the Liver Transplant Program, Dr. Anand Khakhar, Senior Consultant Liver Transplant & Hepatobiliary Surgery and program Director for the Liver Transplant Program at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai said, “”Liver transplantation is a surgical procedure whereby a diseased or failing liver is either removed and replaced by a whole new liver from a deceased donor, or where part of a healthy liver from a living donor is removed and inserted to the failing liver of the recipient. The 100 surgeries benchmark has been crossed by the Chennai department much faster than the programs in other cities such as Delhi or Mumbai. The goal of the program is to not only raise awareness about the importance of a healthy liver and the dangers that can be caused by a liver disease, but to also provide the access to treatment geographically and financially.”” Liver failure is a potentially fatal condition in which the liver progressively stops performing its functions resulting in episodes of jaundice, accumulation of fluid in the body, blood vomiting and confusion. Conditions such as Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C infection, excess alcohol consumption, diseases such as Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis can cause this state.

Team of super specialist doctors headed by Dr. G. Sengottuvelu, Senior Consultant & Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, used a specially designed mesh covered stent (M GUARD STENT) to capture the 80% blood clot that was formed in his right coronary artery that had migrated down to all the small branches in the downstream which led to acute heart attack. Dr. Sengottuvelu said, “”Dukahram a 27 years old male, glass factory worker with strong family history of premature heart attack (his father had a heart attack at the age of 45 years), was diagnosed with an acute heart attack, and found with blood clot in his right coronary artery that migrated down and unusually blocked all the small branches in the downstream, risking his life. This latest technology the M guard stent was useful in trapping the blood clot without any further breaks, the device also gave us a high procedural success with low rates of clot dislodgement into distal branches during the deployment””. He also added, “”M guard stent helped us to complete the surgery within 20 minutes, thereby reducing the complications and the risk involved in the surgery ensuring quick recovery of the patient””. In order to clear the clots in the small vessels, the clearway catheter another recent technology was introduced through which a strong anti clotting drug was injected directly to dissolve the clot. This unique M guard stent proves very effective in preventing further clot dislodgement. Acute heart attacks are increasingly seen in younger population particularly smokers. There is an urgent need to educate public on the importance of early arrival in the hospital after the onset of chest pain. Acute Heart Attack (Acute myocardial infarction) is on the rise in young adults and carries a significant morbidity, psychological effects, and financial constraints for the person and the family particularly when it occurs at a young age. The protection offered by young age has been slowly taken away by the increased prevalence of risk factors for CHD in adolescents such as smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity. Better prognosis among young adults is achieved when early appropriate treatment is offered and saving more muscle mass from permanent damage by using these newer devices.