Heart attacks are the single largest cause of death in India. ICMR and WHO project that by 2020, India will be the capital of heart attacks, diabetes and hypertension.
Columbia Asia Hospital – Hebbal has recently added a state-of-art Cathlab facility with latest flat panel technology, to the services it already offers. A catheterization laboratory or Cathlab as it is commonly called is an imaging tool used to visualize arteries and chambers of the heart and diagnose and treat any narrowing or abnormalities of the blood vessels.
“Growing numbers of young people, many of them below 40, are being affected with cardiovascular diseases and about 12 percent of them experience heart attacks. Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits and stress are some of the major factors responsible for the rising number of cardiac arrests. It is vital to provide medical attention to patients having cardiac arrest within the first hour which is called the “golden hour,” said Dr. Nandakumar Jairam, Group Medical Director, Columbia Asia Hospitals.
“In a busy hub like North Bangalore, with IT Parks and residential complexes, accessing diagnostic and treatment services for heart attacks within the golden hour is a major issue. Also the growing demand for a cath lab and interventional cardiology services from not only citizens of North Bangalore but also from neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh; Columbia Asia Hospital – Hebbal has augmented its services to include these. We are now well equipped with a cath lab and highly skilled interventional cardiologists to diagnose and perform procedures, on those affected with cardiac disorders,” said Dr. Prashanth, General Manager, Columbia Asia Hospital – Hebbal
According to Dr. Prabhakar Shetty, Consultant Cardiologist, Columbia Asia Hospitals, Bangalore, “With this added service, the hospital can provide advanced diagnostic and treatment for patients with cardiac issues. The unique feature of the cath lab at Columbia Asia Hospital Hebbal is that the latest technology ensures one can get a high resolution cardiovascular image projection by exposing the patient to only a fraction of the radiation dose than in a normal cathlab. The newer technology has made it possible to reduce the radiation exposure by 83% for patients and by 70% for staff. Moreover, there is a minimum of 50% reduction in contrast medium used.”
The new generation ‘StentBoost Subtraction,’ is another interesting feature in this equipment. The enhanced subtracted image we get, leads to improved contrast image of the stent and shows the relation between the location of the stent and the vessel wall minutely.
“On an average, we get 6 cases of Angioplasty and about 18 to 20 cases of angiography per week and these patients can avail modernized services within the golden hour and thereby decrease chances of death due to heart attacks,” Dr. Shetty added.