IGMC cardiologist performs rare stent graft 

In a first case of its kind Indra Gandhi Medical College Cardiologist performed a rare

percutaneous stent graft without bypass surgery on an elderly patient. Senior Medical Superintendent of IGMC Dr Jankraj informed media person about this development.

This patient turned up in the hospital on Dec  31 with complaints about abdomen pain. He was evaluated in department of surgery. On CT of the abdomen he was found to have abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA), which is a dilation of main artery aorta and fatal complication of heart or a rare disease.

” If patient would not have been operated in time for this dangerous disease Artery could have ruptured any time and may have caused sudden death.” Dr Raj said.

This patient was sent to CTVS department where surgery by opening up abdomen was attempted but due to large amount of adhesions it was not successful.

It was then the surgeons approached Dr Rajeev Marwaha in department of cardiology, to attempt closure of aneurysm without surgery. Department planned this rare procedure after re-evaluating the patient and another CT was performed.

” The team had many hurdles before they could go ahead. A few of them were like, scarce supply of this stents i.e manufactured only by a very few companies, problem of availability of trained technician who have to come from Mumbai and requirement of finance since minimum cost for this stent and it’s grafting comes to around 5 lakh rupees beyond the capacity of patient to afford the same” Dr Jankraj said.

Patients is under HIMCARE, where he had some money but extra amount was required which was provided by patient’s local MLA and chief whip of Vidhan Sabha Narender Bragta.

This case was performed, under local anesthesia, artery of left femoral artery route was used and as planned 2 stents was placed and aneurysm closed. Final result was very successful and patient is doing fine. He will be discharged after two days.