Mangaluru: For the first time in coastal Karnataka, AJ Hospital and Research Centre operated on a septuagenarian patient using a ground-breaking US patented shock wave coronary intra-vascular lithotripsy. The hospital is the second such institution to perform the procedure after a medical facility in Bengaluru.
Speaking to reporters, AJ Hospital Medical Director Dr Prashanth Marla said, “A team led by Dr BV Manjunath, chief interventional cardiologist of the hospital performed this procedure on a septuagenarian patient who had densely calcified heart blocks.”
Elaborating on the new technology, Dr Manjunath said, “this new technology uses sonic waves to crack highly calcified deposits and blockages within the coronary arteries. This allows the ballon to expand the artery and make the placement of stent easier, safer, and accurate.”
“The new technique removes both superficial and deep-seated calcium and is medically considered safer than rotablation,” he added.
Although this type of treatment is expensive, the procedure was done free of cost on the patient under a government scheme.
Dr Manjunath further said, “About 50 patients in India and about 3000 patients in the world have undergone this procedure till date. The patient can be given a maximum of 8 cycles of shock waves to crack the highly calcified deposits with this new technology.”
