Mumbai: Doctors at Wockhardt Hospitals save life of a 70-year-old comorbid woman who suffered a massive heart attack

Mumbai: Doctors at Wockhardt Hospitals (Mira Road) saved the life of a 70-year-old woman who had suffered a massive heart attack and had multiple health problems. She is now in stable condition and has been discharged.

Kumudini Sanghvi was admitted to a hospital in Borivali after the heart attack where she underwent angiography. However, it was discovered that she had a block in all three major arteries of her heart. An echocardiogram was done and further investigations revealed that her heart function was at 50% of the normal rate. She was then shifted to Wockhardt for further management.

Dr Mayuresh Pradhan, consultant cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Wockhardt, said they carried out her cardiac evaluation and she was posted subsequently, for coronary artery bypass surgery while she was also undergoing treatment for uncontrolled diabetes. “Given her multiple problems, high-risk consent was taken and the relatives were informed of all the possibilities, risks and benefits involved with the surgery. The postoperative course was also explained to them. We then started the surgical process and a coronary artery bypass surgery was successfully performed,” he said.

According to Dr Pradhan, it may be manageable to effectively handle the condition when there are one or two health problems. However, when a patient has multiple health problems, everything adds up and each tiny issue becomes much more difficult to manage. “Hence, her post-operative care was just as much complicated as her high-risk surgery,” Dr Pradhan said.

Following the surgery, Ms Sanghvi was shifted to the ICU and extubated in the next 24 hours while she recovered. She was regularly monitored for her heart and lung problems. “However, she developed intestinal obstruction which was managed. We then shifted her to the ward and soon discharged her on BiPap (ventilator type of device that helps with breathing) support,” he said.