India has the largest number of people suffering from heart diseases. One in eight Indians suffer from high blood pressure, while heart disease is the biggest killer in this country. The prevalence of heart disease and stroke in India has increased by more than 50% since 1990 !!
Continental Hospitals has performed the 4th Watchman procedure in the city on a 76-year-old patient who suffered from atrial fibrillation. Artificial fibrillation is a condition where irregular heartbeat can lead to blood clots or strokes and, if left untreated over time, can result in death.
Speaking on the matter, Drs. Abhishek Mohanty, who was a consultant for the patient who went through the procedure, said – “A 76-year-old gentleman was diagnosed with a heart rhythm disorder called ibr atrial fibrillation (AF) . He was with diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure suffered a heart attack 4 years ago that required angioplasty.
He was given parenteral iron with GI medications. After stabilizing their hemoglobin levels, we planned a novel procedure called a left atrial appendage closure (LAAC), using a Watchman device, as an alternative to anticoagulation. The procedure was performed under sedation through a small access to the vein of his leg and does not require any open heart surgery and is completely safe. The procedure lasted for one hour and the patient was discharged in 2 days.
Dr. Miraji Rao – Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Continental Hospitals said – We are performing LAAC procedure in this hospital, though this is the first time we are using the Watchman device. The device has over 100 thousand implants all over the world and this is only the fourth device in the city.
