Sunshine Hospitals donates drug eluting stent

In what could be termed as an altruistic display of health “care”, Sunshine Hospitals in Secunderabad donated a drug eluting stent to an 18-year old orphan girl and successfully treated a rare heart disorder, Takayasu arteritis. Also known as aortic arch syndrome, Takayasu arteritis affects perhaps one in 2, 00,000 people; more commonly in women.

The paitent, Harika from Nandikotkur of Kurnool District was diagnosed with the disease after an angiogram at Government General Hospital in Kurnool that showed a 90 per cent lesion in ostial and subclavian arteries. She came to Secunderabad and was admitted under the Aarogyasri scheme.

The team from Sunshine Hospital led by Dr Vijay Kumar, Senior Interventional Cardiologist performed Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) along with stent in ostial left main artery. The team opted for a drug eluting stent considering her young age.

Takayasu’s arteritis is a rare form of vacuities disease involving inflammation in the walls of the largest arteries in the body, the aorta and its main branches. The disease results from an attack by the body’s own immune system, causing inflammation in the walls of arteries. The inflammation leads to narrowing of the arteries and this can reduce blood flow to many parts of the body.

Speaking about the condidtion Dr Vijay Kumar Reddy said that it can result in a weak pulse or loss of pulse in arms, legs and organs. “Takayasu most often occurs in people aged 15–40 years, but sometimes affects younger children or middle-aged adults.

It can cause heart problems, high blood pressure and stroke, too. “The disease can recur after treatment or can silently get worse. It is often very hard to know whether Takayasu is active again,” added the doctor.