Hernia Surgery - Laparoscopic Mesh Repair Surgery at Affordable Cost

An International female patient aged around 26 years of age presented with paraumbilical hernia with a defect measuring 2 cms. The swelling was first noticed a year back, and 3 months post her delivery. The swelling was prominently visible on coughing, and was reducible.

The doctors at her home country had advised a ‘laparoscopic mesh repair’. Since the cost of the surgery was beyond her insurance coverage, she had to look for alternatives outside her country. The cost we quoted to her for the surgery at our hospital in India was affordable to her, and she found that it was within her insurance coverage.

She flew down to India and underwent surgery at our hospital. She was in India for 7 days.  On her arrival at India, she visited the hospital and had a consultation with the treating doctor. She was posted for surgery after two days; in accordance with her request to get herself accommodated outside the hospital. She was admitted to the hospital a day before the surgery. She underwent a ‘laparoscopic mesh repair’ for ‘paraumbilical hernia’. She was back to the ward on the same day and was doing well.

She was advised stay in the hospital for two days since she reported mild pain in her abdomen.

The surgery was a success and she was back in her country 3 days post the operation.

Eye Surgery - A Childhood Injury Left Untreated Had to Be Fixed a Good 20 Years Later to Save Eyesight with Surgery Which Included Penetrative Keratoplasty

Childhood injuries can terribly go wrong if left untreated. This is what a patient who visited our hospital for eye treatment experienced firsthand. He was some 7 years of age when he had an injury on his right eye which he had left untreated until recently; he would have gone blind in his right eye if not for the treatment he had at India and in our hospital.

The ophthalmologist’s investigations of his right eye revealed that his posterior segment appeared normal and the ophthalmologist could clearly rule out endophthalmitis and atropic bulbus. The only factor that needed some keen assessment was the amount of amblyopia he had, and the treatment would be decided strongly based on this factor.

Further, from the reports presented, it was not clear to the ophthalmologist as to the amount of corneal opacity that was present in the affected eye. The ophthalmologist had no options but to request the patient to fly down to India for further evaluation and appropriate treatment. The ophthalmologist was in no position to give an estimate to the cost of treatment since everything was dependent upon his evaluation of the patient in person.

When the patient finally arrived at India he presented himself with total loss of vision in his right eye. The injury that he had left untreated for some 20 years had now developed into total corneal opacity with vascularization. The treating ophthalmologist gave a clinical diagnosis of  adherent leucomo. The ophthalmologist observed that the left eye was functioning quite normally. The ophthalmologist also suggested that the patient undergo a B-Scan and also an OCT.

These tests revealed that the posterior segment of his right eye was perfectly normal, but the anterior segment could not be made out. As previously observed from the reports the patient had previously presented, the new reports too confirmed that Endophthalmitis and atrophic bulbus could be ruled out.

The new reports helped the ophthalmologist to arrive at a treatment plan. The treatment plan that was decided was a combined eye surgery. The eye surgery planned was cataract extraction and penetrative keratoplasty and also ocular implantation with guarded prognosis.

But, these procedures had to wait for almost 15 days since the eye bank was yet to make ready the required cornea. But eventually the wait paid off and the promised cornea arrived. The patient was scheduled for operation the very next day. The eye surgery was to be conducted under general anesthesia.

The ophthalmologist was keen at operating the patient very early in the morning; sometime past 5.30 am.

The eye surgery that was done included ciliary staphylomectomy. Pupilloplasty was conducted and the anterior chamber was formed. Rubeosis iridis was noticed in the patient. The cornea was removed and replaced. All the procedures were carried out under general anesthesia.

The patient was advised rest for almost 10 days. The checkup by the ophthalmologist post 10 days of the surgery revealed that there was no rejection of the graft, and the corneal button had a normal appearance. The anterior chamber was clear with a mild hyphema.

The patient had to leave the country and hence he was prescribed oral steroids and the course would last for 3 weeks.

The patient is now doing quite well and his eyesight has been successfully restored. 

Stem Cell Therapy - The Miracle that Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Did to a Small Girl Injured in a Shooting Accident

The medical travel to India that a small international patient undertook changed her life for ever. The following is her case.

A shooting accident resulted in bullet shrapnel piercing into the spine of a small girl. The spine injuries the girl suffered snatched away from her, the ability to walk. She suffered great agony and was in constant pain in her legs. She became totally bed ridden.

Since there was no treatment available in her country for her disability, she had to undertake a medical travel to India. It is merely through word of mouth that the girl's relatives became aware of the facilities available at our hospital and they immediately decided to seek medical treatment at our hospital. They decided to undertake a medical travel to India only because many of their compatriots too were treated at our hospital and were doing pretty well. They hold our hospital in high esteem.

The relatives sent in the girl's case report to our hospital, and the expert doctors of our neurology department suggested that the girl should undergo stem cell therapy.

Once the patient had flown down to India for her medical treatment, she was immediately admitted to the hospital, and the treating doctors conducted the necessary investigations on her. Doctors at our hospital realized that her spinal cord was pierced by more than 100 splinters from the bullet during the accident. Any surgical treatments to treat the problem is not available, or is known to be existent, during this point of time for such cases.

The treating doctors realized that the only treatment solution available to them at this point of time was stem cell therapy. Accordingly, the treating doctors performed intrathecal injection of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells on her.

Within weeks of the stem cell treatment marked changes were noted in the small girl. The girl no longer felt pain in her legs. Her condition gradually improved and she was advised physiotherapy.

In some weeks time, the girl who suffered great pain in her legs and was disabled, was able to walk on her own feet.

Stem cells therapy is an emerging medical treatment and the miracles it is worthy of creating are just but being revealed. This small girl's case is one such instance. When her relatives had lost all hopes of the girl ever being able to walk, they placed their last hope upon our hospital and stem cell therapy. Their belief in our hospital and stem cell therapy eventually paid off, and she was able to walk again!

Stem cell therapy is continuing to reveal miracles at our hospital, and this is but one of the numerous cases of patients recovering from fatal spine injuries at our hospital. The uses of stem cell therapy is multitude and our hospital continues to put it to good use, thus changing the lives of numerous of our patients.

A medical travel to India can be a life changing experience when the medical treatment is carried out at our hospital, and numerous of our international patients are bearing witness to this truth.

The patient testimonial to this particular case can be viewed by following this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXgQt8khhV0

The girl was discharged from the hospital by the end of February, 2012.

After six months of the treatment the girl was able to walk, but only with ample support.

After about nine to eleven months, the girl was able to walk on her own.

Heart Surgery - A Complicated Case of Mitral Valve Repair and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)

A 65 year old man from Middle East presented with a case of severe chest pain and breathlessness. He had a previous history of myocardial infarction. He was moderately built. He presented to us his medical records such as current ECG, Echo, and a complete case history written by his family physician. The medical records were perused by the expert panel of cardiology and they advised that an angiogram and CATH study be performed on him for further evaluation, since the records the patient presented did not give the doctors the complete picture about his condition. The evaluation done at the hospital revealed multiple blocks in the Coronary Artery, which required immediate surgical intervention. Also revealed was a leaking mitral valve which required immediate correction.

His blood examination revealed high creatinine levels, which meant that the patient may have a renal failure after surgery, and which may require dialysis. Doctors assured that the surgery had a success rate of 80%, but they also discussed with the patient’s relative about the risks and complications associated with the surgery. The relative was in acceptance to the doctor’s suggestion of surgery and was ready to go ahead with the corrective procedure. The relative was also made aware that the mitral valve repair had a chance of failure, and if it were to fail, then a mitral valve replacement may be required. The mitral valve replacement had a success rate of 95%.

The patient was posted for mitral valve repair and CABG, and the surgery was successfully done. He was in the Intensive Coronary Care Unit for 7 days.

Later on, he was shifted to the ward and was stable. He was discharged from the hospital after a fortnight.

The patient and his relatives were really content that they had decided in favor of the surgery, despite it being a very complicated one.

Heart Surgery - A Case of How Heart Surgery Transformed the Child Who Never Played

Does it seem strange if you see a child who doesn't love to play? It would, right? This particular child’s parents too felt the same when they noticed that their small girl was never interested in running around, or joining other kids in doing what kids usually do, play!

But, they also noticed that their girl was a bit too tired always, always sleepy, she always expected her dad to carry her around. When she was sent to play, she would make an attempt, feel tired, sit around, and return. These problems gradually worsened and it became the worst when she turned 3 years old. Or, it was perhaps at this time that the parents really felt that there was something amiss with their daughter, and that their daughter was not ‘lazy’, or something around those lines.

They immediately took the girl to their doctor. The doctor diagnosed that the girl had a congenital heart disease. In medical terminology this is identified as ‘Tetrology of Fallot’. In the layman’s parlance it is often referred to as a ‘hole in the heart’. The parents were at a loss when the doctor mentioned to them the fact that their hospital was not equipped to handle the required surgery on a girl that young with the equipment they currently had at their hospital. Worse still they did not have a pediatric cardiologist in their hospital who could take up the heart surgery.

The hospital did convey to the parents the fact that if the medical problem were to be left untreated the girl had very slim chances of survival.

The parents desperately looked around for alternatives and they came to hear through their hospital and their doctor that the heart surgery could be carried out successfully in India.

Subsequently, the case report was sent to our hospital. The team of pediatric cardiologists at our hospital checked upon the reports the parents had sent to us. They analyzed the reports and arrived at the fact that a total heart repair was required. The doctors advised that the girl could be flown down to India to take the treatment forward.

Once they arrived in India for treatment, the doctors suggested that various tests be conducted on the girl since the reports currently in hand were old. Current reports were required to assess the exact situation the girl was in. The tests performed on the girl were the usual routine blood test, urine test,ECG, Echo, and Cardiac Catheterization.

The reports revealed to the doctors that the child indeed had Tetrology of Fallot, which required correction of Pulmonary Infundibular Stenosis and septal defect.

The child was posted for surgery the very next day. Doctors advised the parents to not feed the child during the morning of the surgery day, since the child was posted for surgery in the afternoon. It is important that the child be ‘nil by mouth’ four hours before surgery.

The surgery was conducted under general anesthesia.  Four cardiovascular surgeons, one pediatric cardiologist, 2 anesthetists, 2 perfusionists to monitor the heart-lungmachine, and the other support team were present during the open heart surgery.

The doctors gained access to the heart by cutting open the sternum. The septal defect was closed with pericardium, and the pulmonary infundibular stenosis too was corrected.

The child was in the intensive coronary care unit for 2 days. The child was very stable, and was doing good. On the 5^th day, the doctors advised that the child be made to walk around the corridors of the hospital. On the 10^th day the stitches were removed, and the patient was discharged.

The patient was called back for a review after a week post the surgery.

The review revealed that the child was stable and was 'fit to fly'. The parents were advised to treat the child as normal, and treat her as they would treat any other child. They also advised that the child could be admitted to a school.

Thus the child got to experience a new lease of life post the corrective heart surgery.

Cancer in the Thigh - A Case of a Patient with Soft Tissue Sarcoma Who Survived Amputation of the Limb

A medical travel to India can be a life-saver; this international patient experienced it first-hand after receiving treatment at our hospital. 

An international patient had pain in his leg since almost 6 months, and when the pain became unbearable he approached a hospital in his country for treatment. The orthopedic surgeon in his country conducted some investigations and it was discovered that the patient had a cancerous tumor in his thigh. They conducted a biopsy on the patient, and following which the tumor was removed by surgery.

The removed tumor was then sent to the lab for investigation. The investigation reports revealed that the tumor was not completely removed and that some numbers of tumor cells were still present in the body.  The treating doctor at this stage recommended our hospital to the patient, and advised the patient that our hospital be contacted to take the case forward.

The patient made contact with our hospital and the patient's reports were sent to the doctors from the oncology department in our hospital. The treating doctor at our hospital studied the report extensively and suggested that another surgery be performed on the patient. He suggested that another surgery was necessary to remove the remnant tumor cells from the body. He suggested that if those cancerous cells were left in the body and not removed they had a tendency to grow back and also spread to other parts of the body. This eventually would put the patient's life at risk at a later time.

The patient was advised to fly down to India for medical treatment. The patient flew down to India immediately. Once the patient arrived at India, the treating doctor suggested that PET and CT scans be performed on him. The scans revealed that the patient had no cancerous cells in any other part of the body other than his affected limb. Once this was confirmed, the treating doctor performed the required surgery on the patient and excised the cancerous tumor in its entirety from the patient.

The patient recovered from the surgery within a week's time, and he was then able to walk freely and without any pain. This surgery was supposed to be followed by radiation therapy. The patient wanted to take up the radiation therapy in his country. Once the patient had recovered from the surgery, he was discharged and he flew back to his country for further treatment.

The miracle of the surgery conducted on the patient in our hospital is that the patient was in a position to retain the function of his limb. It so is the norm that when a patient is affected with cancerous tumor on either his arms or limbs, the only solution to treating this kind of cancer is amputation of the affected limb or arm. It is thanks to the surgical expertise of the treating doctor, the advancements in the investigation techniques, and the better understanding of this particular kind of cancer that the patient was lucky to retain his affected limb.

The medical travel to India proved to be a life-saver for this patient. He and his family mentioned that they were immensely fortunate to having come to our hospital and undergoing treatment at the expert hands of the treating doctor. They have since then recommended our hospital to numerous patients in their country.

The expertise of the treating doctor and the technology available at our hospital has been saving lives and changing the lives of affected patients on a daily basis.