Babu Ezhumalai, senior consultant, interventional cardiology, explains the successful life-saving emergency angioplasty performed using advanced heart support technology.
| Photo Credit: RAGHUNATHAN SR
A 69-year-old patient who came into MGM Healthcare nearly two days after first experiencing symptoms of a heart attack and then suffered a cardiac arrest during an angiography, was successfully treated at the hospital.Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Babu Ezhumalai, senior consultant, interventional cardiology, structural and endovascular interventions, said that the 69-year-old man, when he came in, was found to have low blood pressure and his heart was not pumping adequately. An emergency angiography was carried out, which revealed critical blockages in the heart. During this procedure, the patient suffered a cardiac arrest.Dr. Ezhumalai explained that he was given CPR immediately, followed by mechanical circulatory support with an intra-aortic balloon pump. However, his blood pressure remained low. In this situation, it was thought best to put him on ECMO, an external device that does the job of the heart and lungs, oxygenating and pumping blood back into the body. His blood pressure then stabilized. Subsequently, doctors were able to perform a complex angioplasty and stenting procedure.The patient gradually improved and was weaned off ECMO. Follow-up checks showed a recovery of heart function, with a normal ejection fraction of 53%, Dr. Ezhumalai said, and the patient is back to his regular activities. Published - June 25, 2026 12:22 am IST
