BENGALURU: A centenarian celebrated his 103rd birthday last week, days after surviving a heart attack. While Gopal Krishna Naidu’s family had lost hope of their patriarch surviving the coronary artery disease, senior doctors from Manipal Hospitals, Old Airport Road, where he was admitted, intervened successfully and saved him.
“Diagnosis and management of heart disease in older people can be tedious. It was the patient’s mind power and our clinical expertise that helped in recovery,” said Dr Ranjan Shetty, HOD and consultant, interventional cardiology, Manipal Hospitals, who successfully operated on Naidu.
Elderly care is complicated due to comorbidities, frailties and disabilities. On December 30, Naidu was at his Old Airport Road home when he complained of severe chest pain and panicked. His son Shamraj G, 63, rushed him to Manipal Hospitals.
“Within 20 minutes of dad complaining of chest pain, we took him to hospital. The doctors stabilised him and then shifted him to a cath lab,” Shamraj recalled. “According to the doctors, dad was showing prolonged pain, and angioplasty was the only solution to save him. We wanted our father back and agreed to it,” he said.
Discharged in two days
Dr Shetty and his team immediately performed primary angioplasty on Naidu and he was discharged in two days. While Naidu was very active and kept himself fit, the heart attack came as a shock to the senior citizen’s family.
According to doctors, post 75 years of age, coronary artery diseases and heart attacks are common concerns. Normal ageing causes stiffening of heart and blood vessels, leading to such heart conditions.
Doctors said when blood flow is suddenly blocked due to plaque formation, coronary arteries become narrow causing heart attack. Timely intervention increases chances of survival. They said Manipal Hospitals has been seeing a surge in elderly patients being referred for cardiac surgery, as opposed to the general population.
“In case of senior citizens, regular cardiac check-ups and timely medical intervention, when signs of cardiac ailments are seen, are very important,” said Dr Shetty.
