Fire And Rescue Officer Rescued From Aortic Tear At Gleneagles Global Health City

Chennai, 16th November, 2021: Gleneagles Global Health City (GGHC), a leading multi-specialty tertiary & quaternary care center in Chennai, successfully treated a 50 year old man who had an aortic dissection in his heart making it a life-threatening situation.

Mr. Arun*, a 50 year old fireman working in Fire and Rescue department in Thanjavur, felt dizzy and developed sudden weakness in left leg wherein he couldn’t walk. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a stroke. His MRI scans showed that blood supply to the right half of the brain was cut off. Further evaluation exhibited a massive tear in his aorta which is the main vessel carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Such a grave condition can cause bleeding outside the heart and also extend into the coronary artery or aortic valve which can stop the blood supply to various vital organs like the brain, kidney or the gut. In such cases, the patient can be saved by performing an open heart surgery wherein the torn aorta has to be replaced with a prosthetic graft.

The patient was later shifted to GGHC for the procedure. The team of doctors from Gleneagles Global Health City involved in this case were Dr. Murugu Sundara Pandiyan, Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon, and Dr. Anto Saharaj, Senior Consultant – Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery along with cardiac anaesthetists – Dr. Gokul and Dr. Sudheer.

Elaborating about the case, Dr Murugu Sundara Pandiyan, Gleneagles Global Health City, said, “The patient was brought in a very critical condition and was immediately wheeled into the operating suite. In addition to the previously identified stroke, there was dysfunction of his kidneys as well. The patient’s platelet count was also low which meant that it was extremely crucial to control excessive bleeding. During the surgery, the heart and lungs were stopped with the aid of a heart-lung bypass machine. The patient’s body required to be cooled down to 18 degrees to protect the brain from ischemia. The entire blood circulation including that of the brain had to be stopped for several minutes. The damaged ascending aorta was replaced and blood flow was re-established. Rewarming of the patient’s body had commenced to restore the body temperature to normal levels. As expected control of bleeding took more time but eventually bleeding settled down and the heart picked up well.”

The patient’s post-operative recovery was gradual in view of his preoperative stroke. All his vitals, blood pressure, blood sugar and kidney functions had returned to normal. Patient was able to return to normalcy and walk with minimal support within a few days of the surgery.

Speaking about the milestone, Dr Alok Khullar, CEO, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai said, “Aortic dissections are a rarity where diagnosing & treating an aortic dissection is an immense task. This was all made possible because of the expertise & efforts of the team of cardiac surgeons & anesthetists along with the world-class infrastructure available at the hospital.”

About Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai:

Gleneagles Global Health City at Perumbakkam – Sholinganallur, Chennai is one of India’s most renowned multi-organ transplant centre. It’s also one of the top tertiary care multi-speciality hospitals in the city with path-breaking Liver, Neuro, Heart, Lung and Kidney procedures to its credit and legacy. The NABH, NABL and NABB accredited hospital operates 200+ beds. A modern CathLab, 13 operation theatres, advanced imaging services (Trubeam STX, Slice PET CT and Tesla MRI) offer cutting edge emergency and critical care management following internationally approved clinical protocols.

Over 10 years of clinical excellence has earned the hospital tie-ups with all major cashless health insurance players and is the preferred choice hospital by all major corporates in the city. The hospital is an international medical destination for thousands of patients in India, Middle East, Africa and SAARC nations. The hospital also offers VideoConsult services to its patients in India and abroad.

Gleneagles Global Health City is a part of IHH Healthcare, one of the world’s largest healthcare providers. With its full spectrum of integrated services, dedicated people, reach and scale, and commitment to quality and safety, IHH aspires to be the world’s most trusted healthcare services network, united by a single purpose: to touch lives and transform care. More information on Gleneagles Global Health City can be found at hospital website.

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