The Digestive Care department at Wockhardt Hospitals offers full consultative services in the field of medical & surgical gastroenetrology. This department provides services in Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases and provide a full range of GI procedures.
The digestive care department performs surgeries using the Minimal Access technique so that patients enjoy faster recovery and fewer post-surgical. Minimal access surgery results in less complication, minimum surgical trauma, pain and blood loss. The patient's hospital stay is shortened and his or her post-surgery aesthetics improved. The department aims to provide outstanding Gastroenterology care that meets the needs of the patient, referring physicians and community.
~Minimally invasive surgery done resulting into no blood loss and early discharge~
Doctors at Fortis Hospitals, Mulund, Mumbai recently treated an exceptional case of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and hip fracture in the same leg of an obese octogenarian lady.
Mrs. Godavari Vagad, an 84yr old obese lady had fallen while walking and fractured her left hip. She also had Deep Vein Thrombosis of the left leg. Doctors at a general hospital in Thane found her condition very critical and referred her to Fortis Hospitals, Mulund (formerly Wockhardt hospital).
Highlighting upon the case, Dr Milind Sawant, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Fortis Hospitals said, “We faced key challenges like advanced age, obesity, osteoporotic bones and pre-existing DVT, all at one go. These implied difficulty in operative procedure and fracture reduction. Osteoporotic bones made fracture fixation challenging. Also, the presence of DVT in the leg to be operated increased the risk of the clot breaking up and embolising during fracture fixation and so fracture manipulations would have to be done carefully. Hence we had to consult a cardiologist before finalizing the line of management.”
Dr Hasmukh Ravat, cardiologist said, “What makes this case rarest of rare is the introduction of IVC filter (Inferior Vena Cava) implantation. A filter was put into the Inferior Vena Cava pre-operatively so that even if the blood clot was to break off and flow towards the lung, the filter would trap it before it would compromise the lung circulation.”
After insertion of the IVC Filter, the patient was taken for the orthopedic line of treatment : “Minimally invasive technique of per-cutaneous insertion of Proximal Femoral Nail (device) was used to fix the fracture without opening the fracture site – which meant minimal blood loss (and therefore no need for blood transfusion), minimal tissue trauma (and therefore less pain and faster recovery) and no disturbance of the fracture hematoma (which meant early fracture healing without need for bone-grafting). A high-frequency, high resolution C-arm Image Intensifier (machine) was used which gave clear images of the fracture fragments and made fracture reduction and fixation easy and accurate said Dr. Sawant.
In addition to the above, a titanium implant was used to fix the fracture, whose modulus of elasticity is closer to that of bone. The device is light but extremely strong to take the weight of this obese patient. Being an intra-medullary device it was biomechanically superior to take the stresses and strains at the fracture site till the fracture unites. This allowed early mobilization of the patient out of bed and early discharge, he said.
The recovery was uneventful and patient was discharged after few days.
The Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA) has issued its first list of the top ten world’s best hospitals for medical tourists and has named Fortis Hospital in Bangalore (former Wockhardt Hospitals,Bangalore )as the number one hospital in the world. Six of the top 10 world’s best hospitals are in Asia, two in Europe and two in North America.
MTQUA founder Julie Munro says, "Fortis is exemplary in nearly all the criteria we used. The medical traveler’s journey is a complex one and this list helps patients look beyond hospital websites where they can get the full spectrum of care management they need for a successful medical trip. If you cannot get as good or better care abroad than you can at home, you may as well stay home.”
Top ten recognition was given to the hospitals based on MTQUA’s strict assessment criteria of-
1. Medical quality and outcomes 2. International patient management 3. International patient marketing 4. Value for service 5. Patient safety and security 6. Transparency 7. Attention to the unique needs of the medical traveler
The top ten hospitals Globally for Medical Tourism are
1. Fortis Hospital, Bangalore, India 2. Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore 3. Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 4. Shouldice Hospital, Toronto, Canada 5. Schoen-Kliniken, Munich, Germany 6. Bumrungrad International, Bangkok, Thailand 7. Bangkok Hospital Medical Center, Bangkok, Thailand 8. Wooridul Spine Hospital, Seoul, Korea 9. Clemenceau Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon 10. Christus Muguerza Super Specialty Hospital, Monterrey, Mexico
Based on the above parameters ,Fortis Hospital Bangalore(former Wockhardt Hospitals,Bangalore) is number one
Medical quality:It has an excellent surgery option for medical travelers seeking joint replacement, particularly hip resurfacing and replacement. It’s also strong in cardiac surgery and neurosurgery.
International patient management:The hospital has a transparent process sensitive to the needs of patients and families for their cultural, language, and religious requirements, their medical needs and emotional support.
International patient marketing:It actively supports web-based social networks, including Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. It has its own blog.
Value for services:It has a competitive cost structure.
Transparency:The Hospital ensure transparency of care, from cost to outcomes data. Patients receive a portfolio of their medical file and surgery documents including CT scans, MRI and X-rays, and operative notes to take back to their home country.
Centre (from left) Dr. N S Devananda, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Fortis Hospitals Bangalore, Dr. Fansisco Collaso, Consultant Cardilogist & Echocardiograher, Goa with Baby Prathamesh and Baby Varad who had undergone cardiac surgery at Fortis Hospitals Bangalore
Fortis Hospitals Bangalore (formerly Wockhardt Hospitals) addresses the media today showcasing the pediatric cardiac scenario in the country and how Goa has been at the forefront in saving many children’s lives by identifying and correcting congenital heart defects at the appropriate time.
Addressing a press conference in Panjim, Dr. N. S. Devananda, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Fortis Hospitals Bangalore said, “Our experience in Goa in the pediatric cardiac space over the years has been quite overwhelming. We have seen this state growing from the time when congenital heart disease (CHD) was seen as an evil spell to such a time when people are aware and educated of CHD and confident that this can be treated under proper medical supervision and care at expert hands. We are thankful to all those parents who came to us with immense faith and confidence and helped us marking feat in this field and helped us challenge medical excellence many a times.”
“Goa has been very responsive when it comes to congenital heart defects. This transformation in the mind set of the people has served as a boon to all those children who were suffering from heart defects and had the opportunity to avail treatment at the right time. 60-70 % of infants that came to Fortis Hospitals Bangalore were of very complex nature and the success rate has always been of almost of about 90-95%. With such a huge success rate in correcting CHD amongst which 70% comprised of complex cases definitely poses as a great strength for the surgeons who have performed the surgery. The positive response and the confidence that the Goans have shown in us has immensely build our confidence in our profession and given us the courage to take up the most challenging cases” added Dr. N S Devananda.
Lack of adequate knowledge of CHD often results in time lag between diagnosis and referral to a pediatric cardiac centre for treatment and leads to further complication of the child. Also due to lack of awareness facilities available in India to correct congenital heart defects across the spectrum results in higher mortality rate and limited usage of pediatric cardiac expertise available in the country. Heart disease in children is not identified as a health priority by the government in our country. There are no government policies for cardiac care in children. This is perhaps related to the prevailing notion that CHD is uncommon, often fatal and is therefore not worth expanding national resources.
Many families in rural and semi urban parts of India seek advice from unqualified, self-proclaimed “doctors” and quacks because of common beliefs and myths. This further adds to the delay in diagnosis and proper management of the child with CHD. But Goa has stood apart and has set an example for the rest of the states of India. The benefits extended by the government to the families have given an impetus to the pediatric cardiac program at Fortis Hospitals Bangalore to treat many such children and give them a new lease of life.
About Fortis Hospitals (formerly Wockhardt Hospitals)
Wockhardt Hospitals Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata which are now christened as Fortis Hospitals are part of the 40 hospitals chain of Fortis Healthcare. This Fortis Hospitals network consists of 11 hospitals focusing on the high end tertiary care around the specialties of cardiac care – adult and pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery, complex brain & spine surgeries, orthopedics and joint replacement surgery and minimal access surgery. The entity consists of 2 JCI accredited hospitals located in Bangalore and Mulund. Wockhardt Hospitals Bangalore – now a network hospital of Fortis is a 400 bedded Multi specialty hospital with state of the art facility equipped with latest technology and truly World class Clinical Talent dedicated to the whole range of Cardiac, Orthopedic, Neurosciences, Minimal Access Surgery and Women & Child Services. www.wockhardthospitals.net
A team of cardiac experts at Fortis Hospitals Mulund (formerly Wockhardt Hsopitals) performs complex beating heart coronary artery bypass surgery on an infant.
Fortis Hospitals Mulund (formerly Wockhardt Hospitals) marks a feat in the field of pediatric cardio-thoracic surgery by performing a complex beating heart coronary artery bypass surgery on an infant. A team of cardiac experts led by Dr. Suresh Joshi, Consultant Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Fortis Hospitals Mulund has successfully corrected a complicated and rare congenital deformity called ALCAPA (Anomalous Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery) giving the baby a new lease of life.
Baby Sharon was born with normal delivery without any specific symptoms of heart defect during her birth. However after 4 months she suffered from severe cold and cough and was admitted in a city hospital as she was diagnosed of pneumonia. The baby seemed to suffer from increased breathlessness with a very high heart rate. On further investigation the baby was diagnosed of having an enlarged heart and the parents were advised to consult a pediatric cardiac surgeon.
“Baby Sharon was brought to us in a severe condition where she was suffering from severe breathlessness, excessive crying and was extremely feeble due to poor intake of feed. Upon further investigation we diagnosed her with a congenital heart defect called ALCAPA (Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery). ALCAPA is a rare birth malformation where the positions of the arteries are switched and the left coronary artery comes out of the pulmonary artery. It occurs in approximately in 1 in 4-5 lakh live births (0.25% - 0.5% of the total birth defects) and if not treated at the appropriate time accounts for 65 % - 85 % of deaths with in 1st yr of life from congestive cardiac failure,” said Dr. Suresh Joshi, Consultant Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Fortis Hospitals Mulund.
At the time of birth babies born with such deformities remain active like any normal child but as the child grow the symptoms manifests into breathlessness, inactivity and weak intake of food and they grow very weak and uncontrollable.
“ALCAPA is a serious problem and requires surgery immediately after the birth or as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed. The aim of surgery is to connect the Anomalous left coronary artery with the aorta. The precise surgery depends on the exact location of the Anomalous left coronary artery. Sometimes, it can be moved, along with a button of tissue, from the pulmonary artery and sewn into the aorta. If the Anomalous left coronary artery is located too far away from the aorta to move, a "tunnel" is made from the aorta to the Anomalous left coronary artery or by pass surgery is done by using artery of left arm.”
“Usually to perform such complex surgery heart lung machine is required which is also commonly called On-pump bypass surgery. However in the case of Baby…. we performed the surgery successfully without using heart lung machine, which means, off pump Coronary artery Bypass Graft (CABG) procedure with the self equipped instruments. Off pump bypass surgery are much common in the adult procedure group, but in neonates such procedure till date is only heard off” added Dr. Suresh Joshi, Consultant Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Fortis Hospitals Mulund.
The challenges that involve in this surgery were:
1. Grafting vessels on a moving heart which needs small compact stabilizer. Stabilizer for small neonate is not devised till date.
2. Left coronary artery was not appropriate for the graft
3. Poor functioning heart of the baby, Ejection fraction = 25%
Beating heart surgery was performed on the baby to avoid the post operation complication like fluid retention, kidney failure, lung injuries, and acute inflammatory reaction with mild to moderate heart dysfunction, hence helping the baby for the easy & early recovery. The surgery was done without using any stabilizer as such small size stabilizer for newborn babies is not manufactured by any company in the world. It is with the skill of the surgeon who has managed out the surgery without the stabilizer. Baby Sharon’s story showcases the expertise the country has in correcting the most complex congenital defects in the rarest of condition with a combination of skillful hands and technical finesse.
“The diagnosis of Sharon suffering from congenital heart problem came to us as a surprise. When Sharon was not keeping too well, we had the remotest thought of having anything to do with her heart. In fact before this I had very less awareness on congenital heart problems. In our country many kids succumb to faith due to lack of awareness on the defects and availability of expertise to correct such deformities. We need to create more and more awareness on congenital heart disease in India and the facilities provided by hospitals like Fortis Hospitals Mulund to operate upon the most complex cases. We are immensely thankful to Dr. Suresh Joshi and the entire team at Fortis Hospitals Mulund who came to us as saviors and gave a new life to our baby” says Mr. Bonni D’Souza (father of Sharon).
The Bangkok based Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA) which promotes standards and practices for medical traveler's has recognized Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore (formerly Wockhardt Hospitals) as the most preferred destination in the world for medical tourists from America. The hospital was ranked # 1 in the first list of the top 10 world's best hospitals for medical tourists which was released at a press conference held in Bangkok on January 19, 2010.
According to MTQUA, the top five hospitals are: Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore (formerly Wockhardt Hospital), Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore, Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Shouldice Hospital, Toronto and Shoen-Kliniken, Munich.
"It gives us great pride to make India get the top slot as the world's leading destination for International patients" said Mr. Vishal Bali, CEO, Fortis Hospitals Group, India." By providing a strong foundation of quality in all our patient care processes along with affordability we have delivered to both our domestic and International patients' exceptional value" he said.
MTQUA recognized Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore (formerly Wockhardt Hospitals) as the # 1 on its list of Top 10 World's Best Hospitals for Medical Tourists on the following criteria:
1. Medical Quality - The hospital is an excellent surgery option for medical travelers seeking joint replacement, particularly hip resurfacing and replacement. It's also strong in cardiac surgery and neurosurgery. The hospital is internationally accredited by JCI.
2. International Patient Management -Fortis Hospitals has been sensitive to the needs of patients and families for their cultural, language, and religious requirements, their medical needs and emotional support. As the majority of its international caseload is either life-saving or life enhancing procedures, their honesty and integrity provides outstanding case management and better patient understanding.
3. International Patient Marketing - The Hospital actively supports web-based social networks, including Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter. It has its own blog. The hospital has a dedicated team of men and women available 24/7 with access to treating physicians who can respond to qualified patient inquiries.
4. Value For Services - India's hospitals are positioned to provide value for services and will continue to do so because the number of hospitals in India seeking the American or international patient market nurtures a competitive cost structure.
5. Patient Safety And Security - The Hospital wraps the traveling patient from America in a security blanket. From the initial hospital response, Fortis assigns dedicated staff representatives to the patient throughout their hospital stay and a treating physician who directly discusses procedures and outcomes before the patient leaves their home country. Communication with the patient's family physician is encouraged. Patients may stay in the hospital for their full recovery period to avoid moving to a hotel.
6. Transparency - Every effort is extended to ensure transparency of care, from cost to outcomes data. Patients receive a portfolio of their medical file and surgery documents including CT scans, MRI and X-rays, and operative notes to take back to their home country.
7. Attention To The Unique Needs Of The Medical Traveler - According to reports, more than 50% of Hospital's international patients are Americans. It offers prompt scheduling of pre-surgery preparation. It provides exemplary follow up care and services to monitor American medical travelers once they return home.
MTQUA's top 10 list of the World's best hospitals has 6 hospitals out of Asia, 2 from Europe and 2 from North America.