The Hindu : Trinity Hospital gives new lease of life to labourer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 01, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Trinity Hospital gives new lease of life to labourer

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE MAY 31. A poor agricultural labourer would have lost his right leg for having smoked 30 beedis a day for 25 years, but for the intervention of Trinity Hospital and Heart Foundation.

The labourer came to the hospital a few days ago with a gangrened right foot. He was also wriggling in pain since a month. Though he had been advised to stop smoking when he suffered a heart attack four years ago, he could not give up the habit.

On examination, it was found that blood circulation had stopped to both his limbs. He was initially treated with medicines and blood thinners.

An angiogram done on the labourer revealed that the abdominal aorta had been clogged. This had prevented supply of blood to the lower limbs, leading to shrivelling of the toes and setting in of gangrene.

Normally, treatment for such a case would entail major surgery including graft insertion, lasting at least eight hours and costing a minimum of Rs. 50,000. In all, the operation and post-operative care would have cost Rs. 1.5 lakh.

Since the patient was poor, the hospital, under its Chairman and Managing Director, B.G. Muralidhara, who is also the Chief of the Cardiology Department, decided to adopt an unique method to not only save the labourer's legs but also to minimise the costs. Dr. Muralidhara and his team of doctors decided to treat the labourer with endo-vascular therapy.

Under the procedure, two balloons were inserted into the aorta to overcome the obstruction and blood flow was re-established to both the legs. More importantly, the entire procedure was done under local anaesthesia without any surgery and without loss of blood. The patient is recovering well.

Dr. Muralidhara said this procedure was performed perhaps for the first time in the State. Also, the procedure was performed free of cost and the patient had to bear the cost of medicines only.

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