New Delhi: It was a rare double whammy on Rakhi, a young lady barely 27 year old having a child of 6 to look after. As if a large lemon sized tumour in her heart was not enough, a broken portion of it travelled to her brain causing stroke. But timely intervention in Max Patparganj Hospital rescued her and gave her a new lease of life. Any delay would have caused her a paralysis for life, even death.
She was found with a rare 7 cm cardiac tumour. After treatment by doctors through a minimally invasive procedure, she is completely back to normal and freed from the condition.
The patient, who is also a young mother, presented to the hospital with complaints of severe headache, vomiting, altered sensorium, and prolonged numbness. During evaluation, the patient who came in with symptoms of stroke, a 7 cm tumour (size of a large lemon) was discovered inside one of chambers of her heart. A part of the tumour had broken away, leading to a blockage in the brain’s circulation.
A team of doctors of the hospital led by Dr Vaibhav Mishra, Director & Head – CTVS Cardiac Surgery (CTVS), Cardiac Sciences removed the tumour that entered the brain, resulting in a brain stroke. Post the successful surgery and full recovery, the patient was discharged from the hospital on the fourth day.
Elaborating on case details, Dr Mishra, said, “The patient arrived with symptoms of a stroke, which is particularly uncommon in young individuals, especially women. She was immediately assessed by a neurologist who initiated prompt treatment. Recognizing the rarity of stroke at such a young age, a comprehensive diagnostic workup was undertaken, including extensive imaging of her head and the arteries in her neck, to identify the precise cause of her paralysis. This phenomenon, known as embolization, occurs when a solid substance detaches from its parent tumour and lodges in another organ, most commonly the brain”.
Dr Mishra added that a minimally invasive ‘scarless’ procedure was performed to remove the tumour in her heart. Conventional open-heart surgery means cutting the breast bone and big incision in centre of chest but because of her young age we decided to do a minimal invasive surgery where a 5 cms cut was given in right chest and without cutting the ribs. The cut was below the breast and hence is barely visible now leading to cosmetic appearance and no scar.
Dr. Vivek Kumar, Senior Director, Neuro Sciences first treated the patient for stroke added that due to the prompt and accurate diagnosis, the patient’s weakness improved significantly and she made full recovery. The total excision of tumour cures the patient and prevents any further brain stroke.
Talking about the role of super speciality hospitals in treating complex cases requiring multi-disciplinary specialists, Dr Kousar Shah, Executive Vice President & Zonal Head at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj said, “We take pride in being pioneer in quaternary care & a healthcare brand known for its world class clinical care and great clinical results. Our advanced medical infrastructure and multi-disciplinary expertise enables us to provide rapid, precise, and effective treatment for complex conditions, and gives us right ability to challenge some of the most difficult clinical conditions, only to come out with apt clinical outcome. This case is a testament to our commitment to utilising state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled specialists to achieve that apt, and best possible outcome for our patients.”
