Thiruvananthapuram: The number of cardiac catheterization labs in Kerala is higher than the national average, cardiology experts attending the annual scientific conference of Interventional Cardiology Council of Kerala held here said. The conference’s organising secretary Dr P. Mangalanandan said the state has more than 90 cardiac catheterization labs, one in every five or ten kilometres. In Thiruvananthapuram alone, there are over ten cath labs, he said.
Kerala is one of the states at the forefront of treating cardiac diseases. There was a session in the morning on angioplasty done in the left main artery. Ten years ago, a block in the left main artery could only be treated through an open heart surgery. However now, hospitals in Kerala have been resorting to angioplasty of the left main artery. The objective of the conference is knowledge dissipation among the experts.
They would be showing videos of complex surgeries performed, or advanced technologies used. Close to 150 cardiac surgeons and 50 medical supporting staff are participants of the seminar at The Leela Convention Centre, Kovalam. The focus of the conference is the latest imaging technologies used in diagnosing cardiac problems. Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) which helps cardiologists ‘see’ the inside of coronary arteries.
Dr Mangalanandan said that this reveals the nature and severity of blocks, after an angiography, so that doctors can determine the number and size of stents to be used. Other imaging technologies like Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) will also be discussed.
This year, five clinical research papers will be presented. The conference concludes on Sunday evening. Dr Sunitha Viswanathan, president ICCK and professor of cardiology, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, inaugurated the conference. Dr George Koshy A., Dr P Mangalanandan, Dr Stigi Joseph and Dr Louis Fischer spoke.
