Elderly cancer patient gets new life

Ram Avatar Sahoo got a new lease of life after a critical medical intervention was carried out by the doctors of Ispat General Hospital (IGH) here.
63-year-old Sahoo was suffering from cancer of oesophagus (food pipe) and was unable to even gulp a few drops of water. A big tumour mass had almost blocked the passage of his oesophagus.
He was given chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Bhubaneswar but got no relief from his symptoms before he came to IGH, run by Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP).
Dr P K Mohapatra, DM, Gastroenterologist, of IGH assessed the patient and decided to implant a stent in his oesophagus, a release from RSP said today.

Dr Mohapatra assisted by Dr M Majhi (Radiologist) and Dr N P Sahoo and Dr B K Naik of Anaesthesia implanted a metal stent in the patient's esophagus on February 22.
The patient was able to swallow liquid and food after the procedure, it said.
This is for the first time that such a procedure has been carried out at Ispat General Hospital or any of the hospitals in Odisha, it said.
It is a major step forward towards enhancing the services of Gastroenterology unit of the hospital. Many patients suffering from cancer of oesophagus or stricture of the esophagus due to corrosives can now be treated similarly, allowing them to swallow food easily.