Indian heart institute performs rare procedures

"Within just two years of its inception, cardiologists at the Fabiani and Budhrani Heart Institute here have managed to perform rare cardiac interventions' procedures which have been performed by few hospitals in the country. "Advances in technology have made interventions in congenital heart defect conditions like atrial septal defect (a hole in the heart), ventricular septal defect (a cardiac malformation) and patent ductus arteriosis (abnormal circulation of blood between two of the major arteries near the heart) feasible," said cardiologist Ritu Dhawan-Bhatia. The procedure entails treatment of patients, including children, by non-surgical methods, said Dhawan-Bhatia. "Normally these cardiac conditions are corrected by surgical procedures as expertise to deal with them non-surgically is not available in all cardiac centres." On a rare cardiac intervention carried out by the hospital, Dhawan-Bhatia said, "A four-year-old girl who was born with a narrowed aorta was treated with balloon angioplasty instead of surgery. The patient was discharged within two-three days." Similarly, cardiologist Manohar Sakhare planted an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) a device that monitors heart rhythms on a 62-year-old person. "The patient had suffered a heart attack in 2006 after which he had recurrent episodes of ventricular tachycardia (heart rhythm abnormalities) which was a life threatening condition and required high intensity electric shocks," said Sakhare." - Times of India