Howrah hospital treats two challenging cardiac cases

The two cases present both ends of the cardiac disease spectrum - one being a congenital disorder in an infant and the other, a case of heart attack in an octogenarian (more than eighty years old).

Commenting on success of the two cases, Deepak Venugopalan, Zonal Director (East), Narayana Health, said, “Heart diseases in children and adults both demand specialty care and high level of expertise to treat them. With the opening of our centre, we have been able to bring the highest quality cardiac care to the doorstep of people in and around Howrah. It is our endeavour to ensure that we are able to add quality years to the lives of our young and old patients.”

The first case is a corrective cardiac surgery on eight months-old baby. The infant had been struggling to breathe normally and was not gaining weight like normal children should, at that age. Initial examination revealed that the baby was born with a condition called Ventricular Septal Defect also known as a hole in the heart.

In this condition, opening in the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart leads to a mix in the oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood, which can prove to be fatal if not corrected. With timely surgical intervention the infant has been successfully treated for the multiple cardiac complications.

Elaborating on the case and associated challenges Dr. Debasis Das – Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Westbank Narayana Heart Centre said, “The young patient was diagnosed with a series of heart complications which had weakened the pumping function of the heart. In such cases, immediate corrective surgery plays a vital role to save the baby. Every year, lakhs of infants are born in India with congenital heart disease. Unfortunately, majority of them don’t survive beyond a few years due to lack of awareness amongst parents and poor rate of diagnosis. As a world-class healthcare set-up, it is our aim to offer timely diagnosis and treatment to our little patients and secure a healthy life for them.”

In the second case, Dinbandhu Dey, a retired school teacher aged 85 years was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition due to a massive heart attack.  With great precision the cardiac intervention team performed an angiogram and primary angioplasty within the golden hour and saved his life.

The angiogram had also revealed critical blockages in left sided blood vessels for which he underwent a quadruple coronary bypass surgery after a gap of four weeks.

Post surgery,  Dey has emerged stronger and is leading a normal and healthy life which involves a fitness regime and nutritious diet. Today, he can comfortably walk up-to a mile, free from episodes of chest pain and breathlessness.

Commenting on the 85 year old patient’s case, Dr. B.P. Pandey, Consultant Cardiologist, Westbank Narayana Heart Centre said, “Co-morbidities such as hypertension and diabetes add to complications while treating aged patients. Such cases require a lot of supervision and no episode of chest pain, breathlessness should be ignored as it could be a sign of an underlying heart condition. With regular check-up and timely diagnosis, the risk of heart attack can be reduced.”