Shimla: In a first in Himachal, Indira Gandhi Medical College Shimla doctors gave a new lease of life to a patient by performing a case of a percutaneous stent-graft.
The doctors of the department of cardiology IGMC Shimla performed this feat on a 66-year-old male patient, a resident of Tangnu village in Chirgaon Rohru, district Shimla.
According to IGMC, Senior Medical Superintendent Dr Janak Raj
“This patient had first come to Shimla on 31 December 2020 with a complaint of pain abdomen and back of 5 days duration. He was evaluated in the department of surgery and on CT abdomen was found to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is dilation of the main artery aorta due to disease.”
As this is dangerous which can rupture and cause sudden death, the patient was sent to CTVS department, where surgery was attempted by opening up the abdomen, however due to large number of adhesions it was not successful, he informed.
It was then the surgeons approached Dr Rajeev Marwaha Department of cardiology, to attempt closure of aneurysm without surgery, he said.
The case was re-evaluated and another CT was performed and the case was planned accordingly.
Revealing about the challenges, Dr Janak said that the material stents are supplied by very few companies so the main problem was availability of trained technicians who come from Mumbai and secondly the patient being a poor farmer the cost of the stents was around 5 lakh rupees.
“While the patient was registered under HIMCARE, some additional amount was required. Local MLA Narender Bragta came forward to provide financial assistance,” he said.
“This case was performed on Thursday, under local anaesthesia. The artery of the left femoral artery route was used and as planned 2 stents were placed and the aneurysm was closed,” said Janak adding that after the successful surgery the patient under observation is responding well and will be discharged after two days.
