Bangalore, June 14, 2021 – As concerns surrounding the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic have been hindering blood donation programs in the city, doctors and healthcare staff at Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore in association with Aster Volunteers, the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare, came forward to support in the fight against Covid-19 and donated blood on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day. With this initiative, the hospital also aimed at boosting up its preparation for the third wave of covid-19 and stocked up ‘Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)’ required to treat Multisystem inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) and neonates (MIC-N) in severe Covid or post-Covid cases during the anticipated third wave of the pandemic.

As the third wave of the covid-19 virus is expected to impact more children, a shortage of IVIG can increase the risk to covid-19 patients. Therefore, optimizing and taking necessary measures to ensure an ample supply of IVIG products has become the need of the hour for hospitals across the country. IVIG contains antibodies that are harvested from the plasma provided by donors. It is then injected into the patients and helps them combat several infections. IVIG is also used to treat some disorders of the muscles and nervous system.

Speaking on the initiative, Dr. Chetan Ginigeri, Lead Consultant – Dept. of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Aster CMI Hospital, said: “We have recently come across several cases of MIS-C among kids and with the third wave coming in the number of such cases are expected to increase further. In times of COVID, voluntary blood donations have completely stopped putting the requirement of blood and products being met as a replacement. In hospitals treating all kinds of medical, surgical, and oncology children – the demand for blood is constant. The drugs used in COVID and Post COVID complications in children called Intravenous Immunoglobulin have their origin in pooled plasma from blood donors. We would also like to encourage all the stakeholders in the sector to come forward and donate blood that can help in saving the lives of several children and adults. On this World Blood Donor day, let’s recommit ourselves to blood donation.”

The post Preparing for the third wave of Covid-19 – Aster CMI Hospital conducts blood donation drive appeared first on PuneDiary.Com.

A 78-year-old woman suffering from a faulty mitral valve in the heart recently underwent a Non-surgical Transcatheter Mitral valve-in-valve Replacement procedure (TMVR) at Aster RV Hospital, giving her a new lease of life. Previously, two such procedures have been conducted in Karnataka, making this only the third of its kind in the state. The incidence of heart valve disease increases significantly with age affecting the longevity as well as the quality of life for elderly patients. Transcatheter valve replacement procedures have come up on the medical horizon as a boon to some of these patients who are deemed unfit for open-heart surgery.

In this instance, the patient Lalitha (name changed) had already undergone open-heart surgery for a leaking mitral valve in 2013. A prosthetic tissue valve was implanted during that operation. Over the last few years, unfortunately, the surgically implanted valve had degenerated and was leaking, leading to debilitating symptoms. By the time she consulted the doctors at Aster RV Hospital in January 2021, she had already developed symptoms of heart failure –characterized by severe shortness of breath, swelling of her feet, and difficulty in carrying out her day-to-day activities. A detailed medical examination revealed that a second open-heart surgery to change this artificial valve would be of very high risk to the frail patient due to her age and the severity of her symptoms.

The Heart Team at the Aster RV hospital comprising of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiac anesthetists decided that replacing the valve non-surgically through a Transcatheter Mitral valve-in-valve procedure (TMVR) is far less risky and relatively safer. In this procedure, a new prosthetic valve is placed within the earlier failed prosthetic valve non-surgically.

“We successfully carried out a Transcatheter Mitral Valve-in-valve (V-in-v) implantation of Edwards Sapien 3 valve through a small incision in the vein in the patient’s thigh. The procedure was done under short general anesthesia and the patient came out of anesthesia in the Cath lab just after the procedure. She recovered quickly, walked home after 4 days, and has recovered fully now. Trans-catheter valve procedures are available in India only in recent years and can be beneficial, particularly for older patients as it is possible to perform otherwise high-risk procedures without resorting to open-heart surgery and the results are very good,” said Dr. S. Venkatesh, Lead Consultant, Interventional Cardiology, Aster RV Hospital. “Therefore, these can be of great value in treating elderly, high-risk patients as well as those who have undergone prior heart operations,” he added. While transcatheter procedures are far more common for the aortic valve, they can also be useful for mitral valves and like in this case, previously implanted degenerated heart valves.

Incidentally, the first transcatheter Aortic valve-in-valve procedure in Karnataka state was also performed by the cardiac team at Aster RV hospital.

The post Aster RV Hospital conducts rare Transcatheter Mitral valve-in-valve implantation on 78 year old patient appeared first on PuneDiary.Com.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most prevalent cancer in India and has an unusual mortality rate. According to Conservative reports, not only this cancer is more prevalent among men than women but less than 29% of people are able to outlive this cancer for more than a year without receiving any interventional procedure. The increasing number of fatalities under pancreatic cancer is majorly being caused due to the detection of the disease at a later stage. This makes the early detection, timely treatment, and identification of high-risk people extremely important.

Many leading personalities such as Alan Rickman, Steve Jobs, and Joan Crawford have suffered from pancreatic cancer and have succumbed to this condition. Hence, as November is observed as the pancreatic cancer awareness month, it is time to shed some light on the importance of raising awareness about this disease and the test available for early detection, and the possible treatment options.

Recent research conducted by The University of South Carolina in the US found that the onset of diabetes was associated with a 2.3-fold greater increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer than long-standing diabetes. This research further highlights that 80 percent of pancreatic patients have either a new-onset of type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance at the time of their diagnosis. Hence, according to the study if someone has type 2 diabetes then they are at an increased risk of getting pancreatic cancer also.

Based on the evidence from this study, it is extremely important for diabetic patients to take additional care and why they need to understand the link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer, the treatment options, and the precautionary measures which they need to take.

Facts about Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer

How Type 2 diabetes can cause pancreatic cancer – Type 2 Diabetes requires a higher level of insulin than normal diabetes. This increases the pressure on one’s pancreas to generate more insulin and hence, this is considered as one of the primary reasons for how diabetes can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer among diabetic patients.

Furthermore, pancreatic cancer too can not only lead to insulin resistance by increasing the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas but can also simultaneously lead to a loss in insulin production capacity. In either case, this can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

What is the role of duration of diabetes in pancreatic cancer risk? – The duration of diabetes can play a critical role in increasing the pancreatic cancer risk. Many experts have suggested that the longer a person has had diabetes the higher is their risk of pancreatic cancer. People who have had diabetes for more than 5 years are at a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer compared to an average person.

Importance of early diagnosis and treatment – As both the conditions have a cause and effect relationship, early detection and diagnosis becomes extremely crucial and can enable the clinicians to better manage the conditions.

How can pancreatic cancer be detected? 

Diagnosis for pancreatic cancer usually begins when someone visits a doctor after experiencing symptoms for weeks or months. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer frequently include abdominal pain, weight loss, itching, or jaundice (yellow skin).

A doctor will then embark on a search for the cause, using the following lab tests and techniques that may show evidence or other abnormalities –

• Liver Function Test (LFT)
• CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis
• Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)
• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
• Biopsy for histology confirmation
• Pet CT scan of the whole body to detect the spread
• Tumour marker test to measure to amounts of certain substances – like CA 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) – linked to specific types of cancer when found in increased levels in the body

How can diabetes be detected?

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes can often appear suddenly and therefore, for people who are above the age of 45 years or more, anyone who has a BMI (Body Mass Index) of more than 25, women who have had gestational diabetes, and anyone who has been diagnosed with prediabetes it becomes important for them to check their blood sugar levels.

The following tests are used for the diagnosis of diabetes –

• A fasting plasma glucose test – It measures the blood glucose levels after someone has fasted for at least 8 hours
• An oral glucose tolerance test – It measures the blood sugar after someone has gone for at least eight hours without eating and two hours after drinking a glucose-containing beverage.
• A random plasma glucose test – In this a doctor will check your blood sugar levels randomly without considering when you had your last meal. This test, along with an assessment of symptoms, is used to diagnose diabetes, but not prediabetes.
• Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c)- The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends to begin A1c testing at age 45 for overweight or obese people; if the result is normal, the testing should be repeated at a minimum of 3-year intervals, with consideration of more frequent testing depending on initial results and risk status, or when classical signs or symptoms of increased blood glucose levels are observed. People who are not diagnosed with diabetes but are determined to be at increased risk for diabetes (prediabetes) should have their A1c level tested at least yearly.

What are the treatment options for pancreatic cancer? 

In the early stages, as the cancer is of small size, it can be removed surgically as it has not spread outside or pancreas to nearby tissues or lymph nodes. However, in the advanced stages, there are various treatment options which are used –

• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Radiation Therapy

Why one should also seek a second opinion? 

For effective management of pancreatic cancer, a multidisciplinary team approach is required which can help the patients and their families in understanding the complexity of managing the disease. Therefore, patients and their family members can seek a second opinion to expedite the process of treatment decision as further delay in treatment can put the patient’s health in jeopardy and can rapidly progress cancer to an advanced stage.

As the incidences of pancreatic cancer are growing at an alarming rate it has now become a major health challenge. We need to understand that cancer is curable if timely detection and treatment are provided. Therefore, spreading awareness about this disease has now become imperative and people are now required to be aware of the possible therapeutic solutions.

The post Diabetes and its link with Pancreatic Cancer – What are things that you should know? appeared first on PuneDiary.Com.