India's first day-care angioplasty successful

India's first day-care angioplasty was successfully performed Sep 23 on a 55-year-old man at a hospital here, said a statement.

Angioplasty involves mechanically widening the narrowed or obstructed arteries.

The patient, Vinod Kumar, had been diagnosed with a blocked coronary vessel causing breathlessness, and heaviness in the chest and was advised angioplasty.

Vinod Kumar and his family members were worried about the cost of the angioplasty which requires at least three-day-long stay in the hospital.

Therefore, in a first in the country, doctors at the Gurgaon-based Paras Hospital performed radial angioplasty - which does not require a overnight stay for the patient.

Day-care angioplasty costs Rs.3 lakh against the Rs.6-7 lakh conventional angioplasty entails.

Hospital director and head of cardiology Tapan Ghose, who led the team of doctors during the treatment, said this techniques involves approaching the blockage through the wrist and is relatively safer and cost-effective than the traditional method.

This approach cuts chances of complications and reduces bleeding, enabling faster recovery. It also allows the patient to be discharged on the same day as the procedure is conducted, reducing the cost of stay, Ghose added.