SRM Global Hospital’s Rare Procedure Gives Fresh Lease Of Life To 82-Yr Old Retired HM

SRM Global Hospital at Kattankulathur has successfully performed a lifesaving procedure by placing an ICD (Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator) on a senior citizen 82 years old, a retired Government school Headmaster.

This patient Rajamani 82 years brought to SRM Global Hospital for palpitation and giddiness with sweating. On admission, his pulse rate was 180-200 beats/min. A condition called VT (ventricular Tachycardia) is a life-threatening condition. The VT was not controlled by drugs. Meanwhile, he developed Cardiac arrest and was revived by 200J DC shock. On the same day, he had six cardiac arrests and was revived. This situation is called an 'Electrical storm' which requires an ICD implant.This was done by Dr. V.Sriram under the supervision of Dr. C. Moorthy-C-II unit chief.

President,SRM Global Hospitals, Dr.P.Sathyanarayanan said that this ICD device was placed on the left side of the chest by a 3 cm incision under local anesthesia. This ICD will recognize the increased pulse rate and deliver the shock by producing just 20J current. We did not give up and through highly-specialized care of our finest experts and our state-of-the-art medical infrastructure, we were able to not only revive Mr. Rajamani, but also perform the procedure successfully. The patient has completely recovered, and is all set to be discharged and return home.

Critical Condition:

Doctors at SRM Global Hospital recalled that when the octogenarian came here after being referred from a private clinic near his home at Mannivakkam, a suburb near Tambaram, his pulse was extremely high and often slipped into a state of unconsciousness and had to be revived each time through defibrillation. This occurred as high as 6 times in the first 24 hours after he was admitted here. 

They said that after stabilising the patient, they diagnosed the root cause: electrical problem of the heart - 1 of the 2 conditions that could cause instant death to people, the other being mechanical problems. 

Finest medical attention:

Dr. V.P.Chandrasekaran, Chief Operating Officer, SRM Global Hospitals, said that the patient - Mr. Rajamani was provided with the finest medical attention.

Elaborating, doctors said that normally, to revive people who slipped into heart attack, defibrillators would be deployed to revive them, but in the absence of medical support, the condition of such patients would usually deteriorate. 

Careful procedure:

The ICD, they said, when placed, would pick up signals at the first instance of erratic heart behaviour and would respond with electrical signals to restore the heart's normal rhythm. In the case of Mr. Rajamani, they had to be extremely careful while carrying out the procedure, considering his age. They were successful as he and his relatives cooperated very well. 

This VT can develop in any age group depending on various conditions. These warning symptoms are palpitation, giddiness, sweating, and near loss of consciousness, LightHeadedness (blurred vision). Such a condition could also occur among young people with high stress levels, and inadequate rest caused due to lack of sleep, and especially women who consume drugs for psychological issues. When people experience such symptoms, they should visit the nearest hospital and avail proper treatment and take ECG instead of resorting to self-medication.  

President, SRM Global Hospitals, Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan Congratulated the team of doctors who performed the successful procedure and saved the life of the senior citizen.