The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Opening up new vistas in heart care

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Tamil Nadu

Opening up new vistas in heart care

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K. Pichumani

NEW PROCEDURES: (From left) International experts in cardiac care, Marc Silvestri, John Stirling and Eulogio Garcia, at a press conference in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: Latest developments in interventional management of coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease and peripheral artery disease and non-surgical treatment of large holes in the heart are the focus of a three-day Advanced Cardiovascular Therapeutics (ACT) - 2008 symposium that began on Saturday.

Organised by the Madras Medical Mission (MMM) at Mogappair here, the symposium brings together interventional cardiologists, radiologists, paediatric cardiologists and vascular surgeons under the aegis of the ACT.

Briefing reporters about renowned international and national faculty performing complex interventional procedures, including satellite transmission from within and outside the country to provide physicians and cardiologists with emerging trends in diagnosis, non-invasive imaging and management, course director Mathew Samuel Kalarickal said it was the MMM’s endeavour to work together and bring the benefits of the cardiovascular care to needy and suffering persons.

Three international experts — Eulogio Garcia (Spain), John Stirling (New Zealand) and Marc Silvestri (France) — are attending the symposium, which is part of the debate on surgical vs. non-surgical treatment of large holes in the heart.

According to Mathew Samuel Kalarickal, who is also advisor, medical services, of MMM, said the latest non-surgical techniques, including percutaneous mitral valve repair technology, would be an answer to heart valve replacement. “These are exciting developments in the coronary heart care and treatment and the percutaneous non-surgical approach is being experimented in the West. This approach has been tested on about 700 patients, mostly in the U.S., and the results are encouraging,” Dr. Garcia said while talking on newer techniques in handling complicated coronary obstructions at bifurcations.

Special sessions

Course directors S. Mullasari Ajit and R. Suresh Kumar said the symposium would also have special sessions on the management of acute myocardinal infarction, which would benefit practising physicians.

Dr. Kalarickal said it was the continuing endeavour of the MMM, a tertiary cardiac care centre performing close to 2,000 open heart surgeries and 4,000 interventional cases a year, to adopt latest techniques in the treatment of heart ailments and enable young doctors to acquire the expertise.

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