Karthikeyan S., Senior Consultant, Interventional Neurology, MGM Healthcare, addressing the media on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: M. SRINATH
Doctors at MGM Healthcare Malar Hospital treated a 76-year-old woman who suffered a combination of an acute stroke and heart attack simultaneously by performing a series of minimally invasive neurovascular and cardiac interventions in a single sitting.A multi-disciplinary team led by Karthikeyan S., Senior Consultant, Interventional Neurology, and Manohar G., Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiology, performed the procedures.Dr. Karthikeyan said a stroke and heart attack occurring simultaneously is rare.The incidence is about 0.009%. “The patient has a history of hypertension and diabetes. She had symptoms such as inability to walk, giddiness, and exhibited a tendency to fall,” he said.She had developed critical blockages in an intracranial artery within the middle cerebral artery territory and in the carotid artery, leading to a stroke. She was also found to have significant coronary artery disease that severely compromised blood flow to the heart.The team first performed an intracranial stenting procedure to open the critically narrowed artery within the brain, followed by carotid angioplasty to treat the severe blockage in the neck. This was followed by coronary angioplasty to restore blood flow to the heart. All three minimally invasive interventions were completed under local anaesthesia, a press release said.Dr. Karthikeyan added that the case was challenging as the patient had critical blockages affecting both the brain and the heart at the same time.The procedures were completed within 45 minutes.It was performed through a minimally invasive pinhole approach. Kalpana Thai, medical superintendent, was also present. Published - June 04, 2026 03:35 am IST
