HEALTH

Electric drill used in heart operation
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 11
In what is claimed to be a first in medical history, an electric drill has been used to blast calcium deposits in a patient’s heart to reopen his blocked aortic valve.

The technique was developed by Dr Harinder Singh Bedi, a wellknown heart specialist and Chairman, Cardio Vascular Surgery, Metro Heart Institute, NCR, Delhi, when he came across a patient, Mr Bhagwan Parkash, a Punjab Government teacher from Jagraon in Ludhiana District, suffering from calcification. This had constricted his aortic valve impeding the flow of blood. As a result, blood would collect inside his lungs, resulting in a breathing problem.

On further investigation, Dr Bedi said today it was found that there was severe calcification, which had affected the conduction tissue, the heart muscles and the valves. As a result of the long-standing obstruction, the heart function had deteriorated considerably.

The only option was a high-risk surgery to replace the heart valve after removing the calcium. However, the risk was of death on the operating table due to the poor condition of the heart. Besides, there was the risk of developing a complete heart block, which would have needed an expensive permanent pacemaker. The calcification was so extensive that it was felt that the usual method of removal of calcium would not work.

So a novel method, based on the way rocks are blasted by miners, was thought of. An electric drill was sterilised to bore a hole in the block of calcium without damaging the rest of the heart. During surgery, when the valve was exposed, the pathology was found to be more extensive than had been thought. The valve was like a block of rock. The drill was used to bore a few holes in the calcium, so that the valve could be removed in pieces.

Care was taken that none of the tiny pieces were left in the heart as they could have travelled to the brain or other vital organs. The damaged valve was completely removed and replaced with an imported metal valve.

The patient, Mr Bhagwan Parkash, made an uneventful and complete recovery. He was fit to go home on the third day itself, Dr Bedi said. The technique has also been used with success in two more cases confirmed by Dr P. Lal, Director, Metro Group of Hospitals, and the entire operation was done under videography.

Drive against dengue intensified
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, August 11
The UT Health Department has intensified its drive against dengue. Even though no case has so far been reported in the city as against 14 last year, the department has launched a house-to-house campaign.

About 150 Health Department officials, including Inspectors and Supervisors, are not only checking dessert coolers for stagnant water, but also distributing pamphlets asking the residents to ensure that no water accumulates near their houses.

They are asking the residents to remove empty vessels and broken flower pots from their terraces and cover over-head water tanks. They are also being requested to clean coolers at least once a week, besides changing the water of indoor plants.

The department vehicles, in an attempt to create awareness, are also making rounds of the city.

The officials are making announcements everyday from 7 am to 11 am and again from 6 pm to 8 pm. Every Saturday and Sunday, rickshaw-pullers are asked to move around in colonies spreading the message.

Giving details, a senior Health Department officer says the drive has been intensified not only in the rural areas, but also in the urban areas with a view to eradicate the menace.

Special attention is being paid to colonies and slum areas, including Colony No 4, Colony No 5, Maloya, Dadumajra, Kajheri, Shaeed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Vikas Nagar, he says.

“Thousands of discarded tyres outside different workshops in the transport area, besides motor markets in Burail, Dadu Majra and Mani Majra are being removed,” the officer reveals. “Water seeping into the tyres was providing breeding ground for the mosquitoes”, he says.

Another Health Department officer adds that the situation had taken a serious turn the previous year due to accumulation of water in the tyres lying here and there in the Mani Majra motor market.

As far as the urban areas are concerned, Sector 17 government officers are the worse affected. “Hundreds of coolers, installed in different government offices, are seldom cleaned,” the officer says.

“Instead of cleaning the coolers on the request of municipal corporation personnel, government officials simply pass the buck from one person to another. In the end, no one does the job,” the officer adds.

SPORTS

Special day for Special Olympics achievers
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, August 11
It was a special day for athletes of Special Olympics — they had a date with the Governor of Punjab, Justice O.P. Verma, at Raj Bhavan today. More than 30 children who had competed under the banner of Special Olympics (Chandigarh region) were honoured at this function organised by the Chandigarh Sports Council.

All participants from 1995 onwards along with their coaches were there to receive their share of honour from the Governor. Medal winners were given cash prizes of Rs 2,000 each. Medal winners from the National Games were given T-shirts.

Justice Verma expressed his pleasure at the achievements of the children in various sport. He also applauded Ms Promila Chandermohan and her team for giving exposure and confidence to the children.

The children who had participated in the Special Olympics from 1995 to 2003 were Monika Saggi (handball-1995), Vinay Kumar (athletics), Neeti Singh and Namrita Singh (both table tennis) 1999 — Richa Devgan and Devinder Sood (both badminton), Neeti Singh and Kirti Rattan (Both table tennis), Sunaina Singh (swimming), Tarandeep Kaur (roller skating) and Avtar Singh (handball); 2001 — Kirti Rattan and Gurpreet (both floor hockey); 2003 — Prabhjot Singh (badminton) and Varun Singla (roller skating).

The gold medallists of the National Games-2002 were also honoured. They were Manpreet Singh and Varun (roller skating), Kanika Walia, Ravinder Thapial, Prabhjot Singh and Kirti Rattan (all badminton). Nazmin Saifi, Bandana and Taandeep (both bocce, a chinese sport), Subha Chhabra (Shot put), Jatinder (100 m athletics), Deepak Kumar, Gursimrat Singh, Pawan Kumar, Ram Singh, Sandeep Dubey, Vipin Kishore and Sandeep Kumar (all basketball).

Judo champs

The UT State Sub-junior Judo Championship concluded on Monday at the AKSIP School, Sector 41. In the boys’ section, the gold-medal winners were Rohit, Ashish, Bhupinder, Sandeep, Vinay, Arvind and Pardeep.

In the girls’ section, the gold-medal winners were Indica, Archana, Heena, Neha, Manisha and Yashoda.

Skating tourney

A national-level roller skating tournament will be organised at KB DAV Public School, Sector 7, from October 31 to November 4. The competition will be for boys and girls in the age groups of under 8, under 12, under 14, under 16 and under 19.

The tournament will have a rink race (time trial) and road races for 300 m, 750 m, 1,500 m, 2,000 m, 1,000 m and 3,000 m speed. Teams from four national zones will take part in these contests. TNS