On a Monday morning while Dhananjayan was commuting to work, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The pain grew deeper, his vision was starting to get blurry as he held onto support. Darkness gloomed over his head and eyes, as he collapsed onto the floor of the moving bus.
He was unable to work, he lacked the energy to be with his family. In addition to being unable to eat what he wanted, he was also experiencing discomfort while breathing and losing his balance.
Dhanajayan‘s daily life was a series of unfortunate events that included palpitations, breathlessness and dizziness. He was a dynamic young man, in his mid 30s was an employee of a multispecialty hospital in Vellore. Shackled by an illness, diagnosed with a congenital heart defect; his routine included frequent episodes of pain on a regular basis with little no relief despite of long-term medical care.
He underwent major open-heart surgery to repair the heart defect. During the first few months, he was doing well. His valve began to leak again two years later. “He had tricuspid regurgitation, causing him pain and blackouts.” says Dr Gopalamurugan.
He felt more miserable every day, and had frequent ER visits and hospital stays. In September 2020, Dr. AB Gopalamurugan examined Dhananjayan and began to understand his complex medical issues.
“I thought I wasn’t going to make it several times,” says Dhananjayan. ‘Dr. Gopalamurugan and (other MGM Healthcare specialists) were godsent. They saved me.’
The vexing issue of the leaky tricuspid valve and the thought of undergoing another major heart surgery was making Dhananjayan feel like his health and life were out of control.
Because Mr. Dhananjayan was in such an anxious condition, Dr Gopalamurugan determined conventional valve replacement surgery was too risky.
As a specialist in his field, Dr. Gopalamurugan, Director & Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiology & Electrophysiology at MGM Healthcare suggested an alternative, rarely-performed, innovative procedure that would require inserting a valve through a vein in Dhananjayan’s groin and guiding it up to his heart which means that Dhananjayan would have a heart valve replacement without open heart surgery and anesthesia.
The combination of innovative technology and the expertise of highly skilled doctors at MGM Healthcare helped in combating Dhananjayan’s condition.
“I found hope after being turned down by many leading surgeons,” says Dhananjayan. The procedure was successful, and I walked out of my bed the next day there has been no residual leakage of the valve.”
Dhananjayan recalls “I was provided with excellent care. There is no better doctor than Dr. AB Gopalamurugan. He gave a detailed explanation of all the pros and cons of the procedure, answered all my questions in a very understanding way. He did a wonderful job.”
Dhananjayan had a Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement (TTVR) where a valve in the right side of the heart is replaced without open-heart surgery and without anesthesia. Dr AB Gopalamurugan, a pioneer of TTVR introduced this novel procedure for the first time in India in the year 2016.
The department of Interventional Cardiology & Electrophysiology at MGM Healthcare, dedicated for performing minimally invasive techniques; is headed by Dr AB Gopalamurugan who was the first to establish the practice of such procedures in India.
Dhananjayan has responded really well to the treatment and was sent back home after 3 days with a few lifestyle modifications to be followed. He is now leading a happy and healthy life, free from pain and frequent hospitalizations.
As Dhananjayan puts it. “I’m trying to gain back my strength slowly, but I’m determined to keep improving. In spite of some restrictions on diet and exercise, I am getting better every day.”
Take the first step toward healing with us now. Make an appointment by dialing 044-45242424. With MGM Healthcare, you can be part of the healthcare movement that has helped 500000+ patients regain their health.