The spine performs an integral function in our body. It supports our body and protects the network of nerves that connect the brain to the different parts of our body. A spinal cord injury could disrupt the system and have cataclysmic results in our body and our quality of life.
Causes
Vehicular accidents
Violent trauma
Bad fall from a height
Sports injuries
Diving injuries
Symptoms
Pain in back or neck
Weakness
Paralysis
Loss of sensation
Urinary problems
Toilet problems
Sexual problems
After an injury, if any of the above symptoms manifest:-
Do’s
Call 108
Make injured lie flat on the back
Perform basic first aid
Move to one side if nauseous
Dont’s
Don’t give food or water
Don’t let them sit up
Do not take off the helmet
Importance of time to treatment
In any spine injury, the time to treatment is crucial. With spinal injuries, quick treatment is essential, but the early stages of recovery are equally critical. It may involve long-term hospital care and, sometimes, follow up surgery. So it is crucial to find a hospital that not only has the best doctors and medical care facilities, but where follow up care and rehabilitation facilities are equally good.
Kauvery Hospital’s Advanced Spine Centre comprises a dedicated team of stalwart neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists, physiotherapists, and neuroradiologists that is complemented by a team of nurses specialized in spine care.
Imagine how terrifying it would be to walk into a room and find your daughter having a seizure. This is what happened to the parents of a 14-year-old girl. Here, they share their experience and the help and support they got during this crisis.
The terrified parents rushed the child to Kauvery Hospital. They decided on Kauvery Hospital since they have one of the country's best intensive care and emergency units. They were glad they did because their daughter had another seizure as soon as they reached the hospital. True to form, the intensive care unit jumped into action, assessed the situation, and treated her.
The parents were updated on the condition of their daughter right through. She was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis, a very rare disease. The family was advised on the best way to tackle this illness and lifestyle changes that had to be made to cope with it.
The thankful parents are full of praise for Dr. Bhuvaneshwari Rajendran, neurologist, and neurophysiologist, and the extended team of rheumatologists, dieticians, physiotherapists, speech therapists, intensivists, nurses, and staff at Kauvery Hospital, who not only took such good care of their daughter but continue to do so in her follow up visits.
Fatty liver disease occurs due to the accumulation of triglycerides and other fats in the liver cells. Our liver should optimally contain 1-4% fat. If your liver contains between 5-15% fat, you have a fatty liver.
There are two kinds of fatty liver disease:-
Alcoholic fatty liver disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Alcoholic fatty liver disease
Also known as alcoholic hepatitis, it occurs due to fat build-up and inflammation in the liver due to excessive alcohol consumption.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
This covers liver conditions that occur in people who drink little to no alcohol. Risk factors include:-
High cholesterol
Obesity
High blood pressure
Insulin resistance
Type 2 diabetes
Symptoms of fatty liver
It could include:-
A feeling of fullness in the middle or upper right side of the abdomen
Nausea
Pain in abdomen
Fatigue/tiredness/weakness
Loss of weight/appetite
Jaundice
Swelling in abdomen and legs
Some people many not manifest outward symptoms
How does a fatty liver affect you?
Fatty liver can cause inflammation and damage to the liver, leading to scarring. The build-up of scar tissue slows down the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs, and toxins, leading to complications.
Prevention
Ways to minimize the risk of fatty liver include:-
Many a
time, the unexpected does happen in a person’s life. A seemingly healthy
individual develops a sudden and sometimes life-threatening condition leaving
family members shocked. One such story is that of Mr. Dhanamani from Salem. His
mother, Ms. Juliana, relates her son’s story of sickness, his treatment and his
subsequent recovery at Kauvery Hospital.
A
Mother’s Shock
Ms. Juliana
recounts how suddenly one day her son complained of numbness in his hands and
feet. He was immediately taken to the hospital and while consultation was going
on, his right hand and leg got paralyzed. He was rushed to the ICU and
examinations and tests were done to identify the cause. The tests revealed that
there was a block in the nerve that led to the brain and this was the cause for
the paralysis. The doctors further revealed that the block was around 60% and
if not operated on it would lead to coma and possibly even death.
The
patient’s family immediately agreed with the doctor’s advice for surgery and
placed their trust in the doctor and his team to do what they thought was best
for Mr. Dhanamani. Dr Santhosh Kumar performed the surgery and the block was
removed successfully.
In spite of
the surgery being successful, the doctor informed the patient’s family members
that they would have to be on guard and watchful overnight. The surgery was
performed on January 31st and on February 2nd another
scan was done to check the outcome of the surgery. The scan result showed that
there was swelling in the brain and to treat the swelling another surgery on
the skull would be essential. This surgery too was performed with the family
members’ consent.
Ms. Juliana
recounts those 15 days which were indeed an ordeal to her and her family. She
is filled with immense gratitude towards the doctors who were responsible for
saving her son’s life. She recounts tearfully how her family had lost hope of
her son’s recovery but the doctors managed to treat him successfully both the
times.
Making
the Mother Smile Once Again
Ms.
Juliana’s gratitude knows no bounds as she talks about the doctors and support
staff who helped her family and son through these trying times. Their care was
unparalleled she says. Regular check-ups continued and 3 months after surgery a
skull replacement surgery was also performed on Mr. Dhanamani.
Ms. Juliana
says that her son is completely fine now and with folded hands thanks Kauvery
Hospital for their treatment and care.
Watch Ms.
Juliana recount her son’s illness and the treatment rendered by Kauvery
Hospital
There is no first-aid for heart attack. Patients need to be rushed to the hospital at the first suspicion of an attack. This is very important as the first three hours following the onset of an attack are called the golden hours. During these golden hours, if the patient is brought to the hospital and given proper treatment, even a massive heart attack can be reversed. Once this crucial period is past, the heart attack would have evolved, the muscles would have suffered damage and in spite of good treatment the desired result will not be possible.
In case of patients who have had a previous attack, the doctors give them a tablet called Sorbitrate for emergencies. If in spite of this tablet the pain persists, the patient has to be rushed to the hospital. Self-medication is to be prevented at all costs. What is suitable for one patient might not be suitable for another, hence consulting a doctor would be the best option.
Kauvery Heart City
A heart attack is a block (caused by a buildup of cholesterol) in the blood vessel going to the heart. Due to the block, the blood flow to the heart is reduced and as a result the lack of blood flow damages the heart muscles. The treatment for heart attack is to get the blood flowing to the heart again. The success of the treatment is dependent on treating the patient within the golden hours.
All the facilities found in hospitals across the world, be it London, Australia or New York, are all present in Kauvery Heart City. All types of angioplasty, 24-hour emergency services, latest stenting procedures, state of the art procedures to normalize BP, temporary pacemakers, etc. are all available here.
The Latest Technologies in Use at Kauvery Heart City
Kauvery Heart City is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergency services. It is a 100-bedded exclusive cardiac hospital; out of the 100, 35 are critical care beds. There are also two cath labs here and they incorporate the latest in technology. The advantage of the cath lab here is that the radiation emission is very low and hence the safety of the doctors and patients both are assured. The cath labs are in vicinity to twin operating theatres so that any emergency care critical patients may need can be rendered immediately. Kauvery Heart City is also licensed to perform heart transplants. Other than this, bridge-to-transplant procedures like ECMO for supporting the heart for a period of 2 weeks, LVAD and BIVAD to support the heart for more than 2 weeks are all performed here. The availability of all the aforementioned facilities at the same place make Kauvery Heart City the best place for the treatment of heart ailments.
Primary angioplasty is performed here; this procedure is performed only in 2-3 hospitals in India and Kauvery Heart City is one among them. It is not possible to perform angioplasty for all conditions, in such cases keeping stents at different valves is the preferred option and this is performed in Kauvery Heart City. Similarly, at the bifurcation of blood vessels too angioplasty is difficult to perform, but this is done at Kauvery Heart City. As the expertise and the technology needed for the treatment of hard and stone-like blocks is available here, this procedure too is performed.
Cost-wise too Kauvery Heart City being located in a tier-2 city like Trichy offers an immense advantage over all tier-1 cities. A procedure performed at any other city would cost around 1 ½- 2 times more than what is offered here. Patients eligible for CM’s welfare scheme are also treated here.
A Heartwarming Story of Patient Revival
A 50-year-old man arrived at Kauvery Heart City complaining of chest pain for the past 4 hours. He was diagnosed with anterior valve myocardial infarction, a particularly complex heart attack. In addition to that, this patient had an added complication in the form of a hole in the heart wall. This hole was the result of the heart muscles having suffered damage due to the heart attack. As a result of this hole, the pure and impure blood mix. This condition is called ventricular septal rupture and emergency surgery is the only option. The patient was immediately shifted to the cath lab, an angiogram was done and the patient was shifted to the theatre for surgery.
The surgery was a very complex one as the heart muscles were severely damaged and suturing them was tough. In addition, surgery revealed that along with the inner wall being ruptured, the outer wall too had started to decompose. So, the heart was put on artificial support and a Teflon patch was placed to close the tear in the ventricle. This complex procedure needed a lot of expertise and skill. The surgery was performed successfully and the patient was observed for the critical period of the next 3 days. A team of 5-6 people worked round the clock to ensure successful recovery. The patient recovered well and on the seventh day was ready for discharge
The doctors were extremely happy that they were able to revive the man from the brink of death and restore him back to his family.
In the Future
As of now, there is no absolute way of preventing heart attacks. However, with advancement in research (stem cell therapy) it is to be hoped that a way to prevent heart attacks would emerge soon.
Doctors’ Request
The doctors at Kauvery Heart City request people not to follow forwarded messages on the phone blindly; it is folly to believe that heart attacks can be treated with unverified home remedies. They urge people to realize the importance of immediate treatment in a condition like a heart attack; the first 3 hours can make a world of difference to a patient’s life and hence swift treatment is of paramount importance!
Watch the doctors of Kauvery Heart City talk about the various advancements in the techniques and treatment of heart attack -
Most breast cancers begin in the inner lining cells of the ducts that carry milk to the nipple (ductal cancers) or Sometimes start in the glands that make breast milk (lobular cancer).
How does breast cancer spread ?
From a single cancer cell it multiplies and grows bigger and becomes palpable. Once the tumor grows larger it can directly affect the skin over the breast and nipple or invade the chest wall , it can spread along the lymphatics into axillary nodes or through blood into other organs like lungs , bone , liver and brain at a later stages .
What are the causes of breast cancer ?
Some of the reasons for developing breast cancer are Early menarche, late menopause, Nulliparity, Not breast feeding, age at first child birth after 35 years, up to 10% cancers are hereditary. Most often it is multifactorial than singe risk factor. Up to 50% patients with breast cancer will not have any of these risk factors in which case it is unknown.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer ?
What is self breast examination ?
Self breast examination should be practiced by all women above 20 years of age every month one week after the completion of menstrual cycle. It makes that particular women know her breast well and helps to identify ant changes in the breast like any lumps or skin changes so that it is addressed at a very early stage.
What is breast conservation surgery ?
Few decades earlier for any breast cancer
during surgery removing the entire breast was
the standard treatment offered. At present
because of advancement in treatment only the
tumor can be removed preserving the breast
in most patients with early cancers.
Common myths about breast cancer
Breast cancer is always painful and painless breast lumps are not breast cancer.
No breast cancer at early stages will not produce any pain , only in advanced stages will produce pain.
Breast cancer occurs only in people whose family member has /had cancer or has any risk factors.
No , only 10% breast cancer is hereditary and only 50% of patients with breast cancer will have a identifiable cause and for the others the cause is not known.
Cancer aggravates on doing a biopsy or on surgical removal
No , biopsy must be done in all tumors unless not possible before starting the treatment to confirm the diagnosis. Surgery still remains the main modality and most effective modality for treating most solid tumors and can be done safely and when combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy gives the best outcome at present.
