Man with three coronary artery blocks cured without surgery in Chennai

CHENNAI: Ten years ago, if a patient's scans revealed 100% block in the artery -- the vessel that carries blood from the heart -- surgeons had no option but to wield a scalpel. Sixty eight-year-old Narayanan didn't show up with one complete block but three. It wasn't a scalpel but a thin tube that saved him.
For close to three years, Narayanan had suffered from incapacitating chest pain, which affected his mobility.Scans revealed 100% block in all the three major coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. His heart’s survival depended on a few collaterals attached to segments of the artery.
Although the option of open heart surgery was discussed with Narayanan, he was hesitant as it required a graft to be taken from his right leg. His left leg was crippled by polio.
Doctors decided to do an angioplasty to clear the blocks. Angioplasty involves temporarily inserting and inflating a tiny balloon where the artery is clogged to help widen the artery.
“We decided to go ahead with the procedure although it was really complex,” said Dr K A Abraham, senior consultant interventional cardiologist at Apollo Speciality Hospitals in Vanagaram here.
The technique involved highly specialised wires, catheters and balloons. Narayanan was discharged in two days and was able to walk without any chest pain. He started leading a normal life in just a few days.