Keeping 'pace' with Chennai's heartache

With a spurt in heart-related ailments seen in patients being brought into the Stanley Medical College, the cardiology department has really updated their equipment and expertise
Keeping 'pace' with Chennai's heartache

The family of 26-year-old labourer Manikandan had nothing but hope when they rushed him to Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital after he complained of breathing difficulties. The man from Thiruvottiyur, who was found to have had a pause in his heart beat every 4.1 seconds, received a permanent single chamber pacemaker.  Thanks to the state insurance scheme, the labourer got the procedure that would otherwise cost him around Rs 1.2 lakhs, for free.

Doctors at the Cardiology Department of the Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital said that this has almost become commonplace for them. In fact, Mani was one of the youngest to receive a pacemaker among the 12 successful recipients in the last six months.

Take the case of 24-year-old labourer Joseph, from Red hills, who was admitted for abdominal pain. He was later found to have had a rupture in his left ventricle of the heart and was treated quickly. In total, the hospital has conducted close to 100 heart procedures in this time. About 80 angioplasty procedures including seven successful primary angioplasty, close to 10 valve procedures and 12 pacemaker implantations were successfully performed.

“We have procured the latest equipment and the best of stents and pacemakers at an extremely high cost. Our patients not only get the service for free but also our post graduate students are exposed to the latest technology. We even had migrant labourers from Bihar treated here,” said Dr Kannan, Head of Cardiology.

The doctor said that the number of procedures performed has gone up, comparatively to the previous years and that the hospital is on par with private hospitals. The department has also been upgrading once every six months after getting a nod from dean Dr S Geethalakshmi. “We have well-trained staff. We are soon launching the ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) programme through which we would provide angiogram procedures around the clock, to save more lives,” the doctor informed.

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