The woman had severe chest pain and was diagnosed with complete blockage in her coronary stent. Timely critical care saved her life!

Navi Mumbai, 2^nd March 2023 : A 61-year-old woman, Mrs. Gulzar Adatiya, was rushed to the emergency room (ER) at Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, after experiencing severe chest pain. In the ER, she had five major cardiac arrests and was revived five times through cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the expert team of critical care specialists. The patient was intubated through a ventilator, and ionotropes as well as drugs that regulate the heartbeat, were administered. After her heart and breathing were stabilized, a coronary angiogram was performed, which confirmed the presence of blood clots in two critical arteries of her heart. A complete evaluation and tests led to a diagnosis of a complete blockage in her coronary stent, a condition known as stent thrombosis.

She underwent a successful angioplasty along with other interventions.  She had an uneventful recovery and was shifted to the ward on the third day.

Stent thrombosis is a severe complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a minimally invasive procedure used to unblock coronary arteries. PCI is a life-saving procedure that can be fatal if not treated promptly. Clinical expertise is required for evaluating the condition, and immediate action is necessary to restore blood flow to the blocked vessels of the heart.

Dr.Gunadhar Padhi, Consultant Critical Care Specialist, Apollo hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, “The patient’s condition was critical due to multiple challenges in her heart. She had acute myocardial infarction, left ventricular failure, cardiogenic shock, and complete heart block. We took immediate steps to revive and stabilize her. She was put on intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy. We also performed an angioplasty to unblock the arteries and increase the ability of the heart to pump more blood.”

The patient then underwent a successful angioplasty along with other interventions, including the implantation of a temporary pacemaker to regulate her heart rate and arterial thrombus aspiration or reduction of the clot in the blood vessel to remove blockages. The clinical team comprised Dr. Gunadhar Padhi, Consultant Critical Care Specialist, Dr. Keshav Dada Kale, Consultant Cardiology, and Dr. Nitin Jagasia, Head, Emergency Medicine at Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai.

Mr. Santosh Marathe, Regional CEO – Western Region, Apollo Hospitals, said, “Timely intervention and care helped to revive and stabilize the patient quickly so that necessary medical intervention could be done. The patient’s successful revival even after five consecutive heart attacks in the ER and her subsequent treatment and recovery is testament to the highest standards of cardiac care and rehabilitation at Apollo Hospital’s state-of-the-art ER and highly qualified ER, cardiac surgical, nursing, and paramedical team.”