The Hindu : We did the best for Maran: Apollo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003

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National

We did the best for Maran: Apollo

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI June 16. The Apollo Hospitals today said that it was ``extremely shocked and taken aback'' by the statement of the DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, on the course of treatment adopted for the Union Minister, Murasoli Maran. It had ``no concerns about an enquiry being conducted'' since the hospital was convinced that it had done ``the best possible for him on par with global standards.''

In a letter to Mr. Karunanidhi, a copy of which was released to the press, its Managing Director, Preetha Reddy, said ``the entire consequences of the second surgery on a patient infected with fungemia was explained in great detail'' and ``the high-risk consent was taken from his daughter and his family physician.''

Ms. Reddy said that Mr. Maran and his family were given the option of going back to the place where the surgery was done earlier or abroad, but it was the unanimous choice of the family that Mr. Maran was treated at Apollo.

``The surgery was prolonged for around six and a half hours as there were a lot of adhesions around the heart along with multiple loose vegetations over the prosthetic mitral valve. The time taken for the surgery was long in order to carefully free the heart of the adhesions and to prevent embolisations of the loose vegetations.

Lifting the heart could have led to these vegetations embolising into the rest of the body and could have led to multiple abscesses secondary to fungemia. There was no negligence during the surgery, instead we were extra cautious to prevent any complications,'' she said and added that Mr. Maran's daughter and his family physician were present all through the surgery and treatment.

``Post operatively, you and the family witnessed and heard him speak, walk around the bed and take oral feeds, when he was shifted to the ward.''

All in Mr. Maran's family were aware that the doctors in the Methodist Hospital, U.S. were ``very appreciative of the treatment'' and had felt that the ``best possible treatment had been given under the circumstances. As a matter of fact, we were informed that they were surprised that he had recovered that far.''

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