Cardiac Surgery in India

With the boom of Medical Tourism, India is quickly becoming one of the favorite destinations for a medical traveler.  Breakthrough in cardiac surgery has attracted the major population of the world to this beautiful country. With rapidly expanding infrastructure, clinical expertise and international standard implementation, India is servicing healthcare needs, at reasonable costs.

In the recent past, many countries have experienced shortage in Specialty Care Providers, which has in turn restricted their access to quality and cost-effective medical care. In sharp contrast to this, India has always looked at increasing the number and availability of Specialty Care thus avoiding the problem of a shortage of medical professionals. The availability of Clinical expertise at rock bottom prices, (when compared to similar procedures done in western countries) supported by internationally trained and educated Doctors, has ensured the steady rise of foreign patients opting for India.

The skill of Indian Doctors is well known, acknowledged and accepted world-wide.  Many International medical equipment companies prefer to launch their high-end products in India because of the potential in the Indian Healthcare market.

Minimally invasive surgical procedures, which have gained popularity among patients is a new trend and has a minimum patient discomfort and faster recovery. These procedures reduce the trauma of surgery; study also has shown to reduce possibility of repeat procedure in future. With smaller incisions there are reduced chances of infection with much lesser pain, scarring and faster healing.

Among the various types of cardiac surgeries done; a few are listed below:

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG):

One of the common cardiology procedures performed world over and in India is Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, also known as CABG. This procedure restores proper blood supply to the heart muscle. In a CABG procedure, the blood flow around the blocked Coronary Artery is re-routed through a graft vessel. This  transplanted vessel (graft) helps the blood to bypass the blockage present in the coronary artery.
More than 500, 000 of these surgeries are done in India every year. People with severe Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) will be recommended to do this procedure.

Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization (TLR):

Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization or (TLR) is a procedure that is performed to treat a condition called Angina. It is when all other treatments fail, that this procedure is recommended. This is not so common procedure. It is usually recommended to people who have already had a Coronary Artery Bypass (CABG) done and cannot undergo another one.

Valve Repair or Valve Replacement:

In order for the heart to function normally, the heart valves ensure that blood flows in only one direction. Healthy valves open and close in a precise way which helps the heart to pump blood to various parts of the body. A heart valve may be repaired or in certain cases replaced to ensure proper function of the heart.

Heart Transplant:

In this procedure, a diseased heart is replaced with a healthy heart from a brain dead donor. This procedure is usually done for people whose heart is damaged or weak cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.

Open Heart Surgery:
In this procedure, the Chest wall is opened to operate on the heart. The word “open” refers to the Chest and not the heart itself. Depending on the kind of surgery, the heart may be opened too.  Open heart surgery is done to bypass blocked arteries of the heart or to repair/replace valves, correct Atrial fibrillation and during a heart transplant.

Prior to undergoing any of the above said procedures, medical tests are done to understand your heart problem and assess your overall health. This helps the doctors decide if you require a surgery, the kind of surgery and when you need to do it.

Given that 10-20% of the Indian population belongs to middle income groups by western standards, Cardiac surgery growth definitely favors India. Healthcare providers like ESCORTS, Fortis, Apollo, Wockhardt, Asian Heart Institute etc with world class facilities make India a preferred destination for Major Cardiac procedures.

Research has advanced extensively especially in minimally invasive surgery and advanced devices like robotics. Needless to say, the explosive growth of Cardiac surgery will definitely parallel the social and economic growth of the country.

Medical Tourism Companies have played a great role in bridging the gap of access to cost effective medical treatment in developing countries. SurgeryPlanet, a Medical Travel facilitator, has provided support and services to many a people who have undergone various cardiac procedures, at almost one tenth the cost in comparison to developed countries. These centers offer world class facilities and quality treatment which are in certain cases not available in other developed countries.

Dimples and creating dimples

Dimple creation

It is a lovely to see a smiling face with a cute dimple. Dimples do make your face cute and attractive.  A dimple is in reality a kind of birth defect caused by a shorter muscle because of some fault in the development of subcutaneous connective tissue. The muscle is shorter in length in people having dimples on their face whereas the size of muscle is normal in the people who do not have dimples. Dimples can be on the other parts of body but they are not of much importance as of the face is may be because they are easily visible on the face. Babies commonly have dimples, but sometimes these disappear as the muscles lengthen with age.

There is something in the genetic makeup that determines if you might get dimples. The dimple gene is a dominant gene which means that if one of your parents has dimples then you probably get them as well. It's simply a hereditary thing that is passed down from generation to generation.

Most commonly, people with dimples have one dimple in each cheek which is visible when they smile. In other instances, the person may actually have only one dimple. In addition to the one-or-two cheek dimples, there is also the possibility that you will develop a dimple in your chin called cleft chin. This is rare than cheek dimples and may not be the kind of cute feature you wish you inherited but it's something that you can see on people if you start looking around.

Very few persons have a natural dimple when they smile. However, plastic surgery technology had advanced so much that it is quite easy to create a dimple. There is a huge demand for surgically created dimples both from women and from men. The results of this cosmetic procedure are permanent. Men and women are equally demanding this procedure. As in all other surgeries, attention to detail is important here as well.

A small depression is created in the cheek muscle under local anesthesia. The surgical procedure used to create dimples is, in itself, a fairly simple one and is commonly done on an outpatient basis. The procedure involves simulating the natural way a dimple is formed, by forming a connection between the skin and the cheek muscle, such that when the muscle contracts, it pulls the skin inwards to form a dimple.

How a dimple is surgically created?

A punch biopsy instrument is placed against the buccal mucosa (inner cheek) and circular motions are made to cut through the mucosa, submucosal fat, and cheek muscle. A circular core composed of these tissues is removed, leaving the skin intact, which will create a shallow cylindrical-shaped defect under the skin.

This 'defect' then is closed by placing an absorbable suture through the cheek muscle on one side of the defect, then through the dermis layer of the skin and finally through the cheek muscle on the othe side of the defect. A surgical knot is tied, which would in turn result in dimpling of the skin even without smiling. The skin, however wil flatten out in a week or two when the suture is absorbed. The internal scarring which takes place will connect the muscle to the skin, creating a dimple when one smiles.

The surgery can be performed on any kind of cheek, be it chubby or not. It would be easier if the cheeks are not too chubby. If someone wants dimples that are very prominent, a bigger punch biopsy will be used to be able to remove a bigger core of soft tissue.

The surgery takes about 30 minutes, and normal activities can be resumed straight after the procedure. You walk in without a dimple and leave with your desired facial indents. There is usually minimal swelling after, and the after care steps are just as simple and uncomplicated as the procedure. A liquid diet during this period would be ideal since chewing could be painful. The after care usually involves regular mouth rinsing with Betadine oral antiseptic solution or Bactidol (chlorhexidine) solution, and antibiotic intake.

How much will the surgery cost and will I be able to afford it?

Patients choose their surgeon on the basis of price. Cosmetic surgery is very affordable in Asia and costs are much lower when compared to the United States and other countries. You need to remember that the success of your surgery is largely dependent on your choice of surgeon, cost should not be your main consideration for your decision to undergo cosmetic surgery.

Any licensed medical doctor can perform cosmetic surgery. To avoid unsatisfactory results, it is best to choose a surgeon who has completed an accredited residency training program in plastic and reconstructive surgery. He should have extensive experience in the procedure you will undergo.

Your surgeon's skill can make all the difference between a good result and one which will require correction and additional expense. Thus, although it is understandable that price is one of the considerations in your choice of surgeon, it is important to remember that the main consideration should be your surgeon's professional qualifications and experience.It could cost approximately 500 -  1500 USD, depending on one side or both.

If you are looking to get a dimple creation Surgery then your best option could be to contact a healthcare facilitator, like SurgeryPlanet, who could network you with good hospitals at affordable rates across the globe.

Author Profile:

This is Srikanth India, I am frequent traveler and working in Medical Domain. My hobbies writing medical related article and doing research in medical tourism. Please

reach me on http://www.cmsGalaxy.com

Links:

http://www.surgeryplanet.com

Diabetes capital country - India

A recent study shows that every sixth diabetic in the world is an Indian, thus crowing India as the world’s diabetes capital. There are over 50 million Indians counted from the world’s 285 million diabetic patients. The disease is found to be affecting more and more young people especially those in the working age group, thus making it an economic burden.


Diabetes is like an epidemic and if it is not contained initially, the results can be devastating. It has been found that diabetes can be more dangerous than any other disease including HIV. Almost every household in the country reports of one or two diabetics.


While looking at Diabetic charts, India is right on top with 50.8million diabetics, followed by China at 43.2 million patients and US at 26.8 million people suffering from the deadly disease. It has been estimated that the disease would cost the world economy at least $376 Billion in 2010. This accounts to about 11.6% of the world’s healthcare expenditure. By 2030, this number is expected to rise to over $490 billion.


It is found that because of the increasing life expectancy and urbanization in India, diabetes is on the rise. More than half of the world’s total diabetics are aged between 20 and 60 years. The deadly disease affects seven percent of the world’s adult population.


The disease does not spare children either. Researchers have seen that consumption of eggs can increase the risk of contracting the disease. A condition called Diabetes Mellitus can develop which increases the glucose level in the urine. This condition, also known as DM, is growing at an alarming pace across the world. DM is one of the leading causes of Cardiovascular Diseases. This can be controlled though, with the help of a strict diet, exercises and a changed lifestyle.


Diabetes specialists now also prescribe certain drugs that have recently been introduced in the market, that do not have any side effects and can be used for both sugar and BP patients.
Studies also point out to another interesting feature. Women are the worst affected by this disease. It has been projected that in 2010, one million more women than men will have diabetes. This difference is expected to increase to six million by 2030.


The urban or as we say, “modern” population, without any surprise has a higher risk of contracting the disease. It has been projected that 113 milling people would be diabetic in urban areas compared to the 78 million in rural areas. By 2030 it is expected to rise to 228 million diabetic patients in urban areas while 99 million would be affected from rural areas.


By 2010 four million deaths are estimated due to the deadly disease. These would happen in the age group between 20-79 years of those affected with diabetes. Most of these deaths would be in India, China, US and Russia.


Experts have been warning governments of the diabetes bomb that is ticking away at a steady pace. They are of the opinion that massive awareness campaigns should be launched by both the government and educational institutions to spread knowledge and consequences of the disease.


Basic habits like healthy eating with regular exercises should be taught to contain the already spreading disease. Diabetes is no longer an “Urban” or “rich man’s” disease, as it has been known. More and more people from rural regions are getting affected. Small towns have industrialized thus blurring the rural and urban divide.
The best way to fix this epidemic is take initiatives and target the right people to spread the awareness. Starting from schools and colleges right upto the community level, effective communication is important. A healthy lifestyle will ensure that the disease is kept at bay. More and more children seem to contract the deadly diabetes and it is only through effective communication and awareness can the disease be contained.


The discovery of a rise in substance called increatins, when food passes through the end of the small intestine, produce an insulin increase and decrease resistance. This theory led to the start of the age of metabolic surgery. Through this the effect of type-2 diabetes can be reverted, avoiding complications and thereby increasing the patient’s life expectancy. This procedure was earlier adopted to treat gastric ulcers. Some modifications have been done to the technique so that the patients will not lose weight and will not suffer any changes in their digestive process, obtaining the benefit of recovering from diabetes, the last important discovery that is helping many patients.


This procedure has been routinely done in many centers for more than 5 years with 90 % effectiveness for the cure of diabetes. Medical traveler do plan their travel and treatment arrangements with Healthcare facilitators like SurgeryPlanet who have supported a lot of people traveling from developed countries to world class facilities across the globe.