A 42-year-old man, who was brought to a city hospital with palpitations and giddiness and was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, a potentially fatal acute heart rhythm problem, which could lead to sudden cardiac arrest, has survived to tell his tale.
The man had to be revived after he was wheeled in to Kauvery Hospital here. He was administered electric shocks and electrophysiologists performed radio-frequency ablation to normalise his heart rhythm. An intra cardiac defibrillator was implanted to prevent and treat possible recurrence.
Deep Chandh Raja S., clinical lead cardiac electrophysiologist at the hospital, who performed a six-hour procedure, said the patient was suffering from familial arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. In this condition, the heart muscle gets altered, developing short circuits in the heart’s electricial conducting system, he said.
The procedure involved removing the short circuits from both the heart’s inner and outer surfaces with minimally invasive approach, he said. Use of advanced equipment helped to wean the patient from ventilator on the same day.
Senior cardiologist C. Sundar said cardiac MRI helped to identify the condition. Since a family member had died at a young age, the patient underwent genetic testing.
P. Chandrasekhar headed the cardiac anaesthetic team.
Hospital co-founder Aravindan Selvaraj said “Familial cardiomyopathy begins at birth but symptoms may develop only in adulthood. This is one of the primary causes of sudden cardiac arrests among young and middle aged adults.”
He appreciated the team for putting the patient back on his feet. The patient has returned to his home town and resumed his normal life. He is being closely monitored, the doctors said.
Published - February 09, 2023 10:02 pm IST
