Doctors at Apollo Speciality Hospitals here have successfully performed a complex procedure on a 72-year-old stroke patient using a technique through which a clot in the brain was removed swiftly. As a result, the patient is recovering well.
Speaking to reporters about the treatment, the doctors said stroke was a non-communicable disease, but serious.
Since it blocked the blood vessels and led to reduced blood supply to the brain and ultimately ended in the death of several nerve cells in the brain, it had to be attended to without delay.
Explaining the procedure, Thrombectomy, a team of doctors comprising M.V. Baskar (interventional radiologist), Jude Rozario Vinoth (emergency medicine), L. Rupakumar (radio diagnosis) and S. Meenakshi Sundaram (neurologist) said the patient was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a stroke a week ago.
After initial diagnosis, it was found that the patient had developed weakness on his left side limbs and had become completely bed-ridden. Further evaluation of the stroke revealed that he had a large area of involvement, which portended a poor prognosis, in terms of recovery.
After he underwent the mechanical Thrombectomy procedure, which removed the clot, the patient was able to carry on his activity as usual and in normal manner, they said.
Director (Medical Services) Rohini Sridhar said, “Such a procedure had been done in three major cities, including Delhi and Mumbai. The doctors here have added a feather to Madurai’s cap.”
Dr. Baskar said that the entire procedure required not just the expertise but, more importantly, the infrastructure. The doctors said that stroke or paralysis of part of the body occurred all of a sudden. Due to this, quality of life deteriorated rapidly. Not just losing the ability to write, eat, sit, talk or walk; the re-learning to do these basic activities once again, with the remaining functional parts, would be difficult. Above all, depending on another person for most part of their lives would be disheartening.