Vikram Hospital ties up with MGM Healthcare

Bengaluru: Vikram Hospital has tied up with MGM Healthcare, Chennai, to establish a state-of-the-art program for heart & lung transplant and contemporary heart failure management. This will be a boon to Karnataka patients suffering from end-stage heart or lung failure.

Heart failure services at Vikram Hospital will be led by Dr Ranganath Nayak, Senior Consultant Cardiologist. The team from MGM Healthcare, under the guidance of Dr K.R. Balakrishnan, Director, Institute of Heart & Lung Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support, will provide expertise for patient management at all stages, including pre-operative, intra-operative, intensive care and follow-up. The heart-lung transplant team at MGM Healthcare, led by Dr K.R. Balakrishnan, has successfully performed over 400 heart and lung surgeries till date.

Dr Somesh Mittal, CEO and MD, Vikram Hospital said, "The people of Karnataka will benefit immensely with this tie-up. At the same time, cross-listing of potential transplant patients in both States will help optimal utilization of donor organs."

He further added, "We envision a multidisciplinary approach for management of heart failure patients including cardiology, cardiac surgery, anesthesia and critical care, rehabilitation, nutritional care as well as psychosocial support."

Harish Manian, CEO, MGM Healthcare, Chennai stated, that it was natural for both of the hospitals to establish a partnership to offer a world-class heart-and-lung transplant program for the people of Karnataka.

Talking about the importance of a lung transplant program, Dr K.S. Satish, Consultant Pulmonologist & Chest Physician, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru said: "People in India are largely unaware of the extent of the problem so far as lung diseases are concerned. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the second commonest cause of death after heart disease. India is home to one-third of the world's COPD patients. More than a million people die of COPD every year. To add to this, many patients have suffered from permanent lung damage due to COVID-19. Many of these patients are potentially treatable by lung transplant, allowing them to live longer a good quality of life. While patients with lung disease will be under the care of our lung team, transplant procedures would be a team effort between Vikram Hospital and MGM Healthcare."