CHENNAI: I am so glad, so many people have come to see me and hear my voice,” said 103-year-old PR Srinivasan from Adyar, who recently underwent partial hip replacement surgery at a private hospital here on Tuesday.
The centenarian, who served as an assistant station supervisor in Southern Railway, Chennai, and as an instructor at Civil Defence Academy bomb disposal unit, broke his left hip bone after he tripped over and fell on a doormat at his house while trying to open the door, on July 11.
“The fracture had disconnected the femur bone from his hip. He lost his consciousness, as he had also suffered a head injury. His heart function was 60 per cent and bone density was weak. But, we did a complete assessment of his health condition and did the surgery within 24 hours of the fall. Also, he required four stitches for his head injury,” said Dr M Lakshmi Naathan, ortho surgeon at Kauvery Hospital.
S Varadarajan, son of Srinivasan said his father was independent and active. “He even used to make coffee for me whenever I visit him,” he says.
“Srinivasan did not have any co-morbid conditions other than hypertension. So, we thought of getting him back to his normal life so as to not affect his day-to-day activities,” explained Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, executive director of Kauvery Hospitals. The patient was in ICU for one day, and he could sit. On the second day, he could walk with the help of a walker and assistants for a few metres, said Lakshmi Naathan.
The centenarian is normal and ready to be discharged. When asked about his secret of long life, Srinivasan said, “It’s Raja Yoga Pranayama. I learned it from a sage in the Himalayas. Do it for 10 minutes a day. You do this, you will have a pleasant life.”
Dr Aravindan said, “Fractures in 30 per cent of men and 69 per cent of women are caused due to osteoporosis, a condition where bones become weak and brittle. So, osteoporosis assessment is a must for women after 50 years and for men after 60 years. Also, the projected hip fracture in Asia by 2050 is 3.250 million.”
The doctors also said it’s important to fix the fracture within 48 hours of the fall for better outcomes. In most cases, the family of the elderly don’t come forward for surgery as they fear post-operative complications.