Innovative Cardiac Procedure saves lives.

In todays high stress life, many questions cross our minds – “Why are heart problems called a disease and not a malfunction?” “What has changed, why do we hear of more heart incidents now than in our parents time?” “What are the major cardiac problems in children? This was unheard of a few years back?” These and many other questions were answered during a visit to the RAK Hospital. It is one of the finest Hospitals in Cardiology supported by the world famous Fortis Escorts Group.

A talk with a cardiac surgeon enlightened us to the following, that there are multiple factors in Cardiac problems, some are preventable and some non preventable. The non preventable factors are of course hereditary and birth defects. But the preventable ones are what we need to focus on. The surgeon enlightened us that the main process starts at marriage, first of all choose a partner who does not have a similar health history as your own. If both have diabetes, blood pressure etc. there are more chances of the off springs getting the same. After that early detection is the key, through fetal echocardiographs, heart problems can be detected while the fetous is still in the womb, so that as soon as the baby is born, the defect can be managed, otherwise the problem will only get detected after nearly 6 months.

To make this and many other right decisions in our life and in the life our next generation, it is important that we are consult the right specialists. Today the world of medicine has served us with amazing solutions unheard of in the past. Studies show the incidence of congenital anomalies in the UAE local societies as alarmingly high and such defects contribute heavily to infant morbidity and mortality. A study by a UAE medical college hospital of the 1,222 consecutive live births from December 2007 to June 2008 showed the rate of anomalous births as 68.7 per 1,000 live births or 6.9%.

The RAK hospital has all the modern facilities to cater to the problems that can occur. A technological advanced Cardiology department with the best in the field and now monthly visits by Dr. Radhakrishnan, who has been a pioneer in many procedures unheard of in children before. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan has more than 32 years of experience in the field of Paediatric Cardiology. He started the procedure of Balloon dilation of the Atrial Septum and Mitral Balloon Valvuloplasty for the first time in the world at AIIMS, New Delhi. Which in lay man terms means that a balloon was dilated in the artery which opened up the block. This was done in adults, but first time tried in children by Dr. Radhakrishnan, who managed to save an unnecessary invasive procedure.

"Congenital defects are often diagnosed in infancy and sometimes before birth. But some defects are harder to spot than others and may not be diagnosed until much later in childhood or even adulthood," says Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, a leading expert in paediatric cardiology.

Dr. Radhakrishnan's services are now available at RAK Hospital as a consultant visitor once a month. Patients can meet him on the 24th and 25th of August 2013. RAK Hospital has partnered with Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and as a result, doctors of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute will make multiple visits to RAK to make sure that expert medical help is available where needed. 

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan was honoured for the outstanding contributions to clinical and Paediatric Interventional by the ‘ISC Oration' in 2010. He has received several other awards and citations.

He also pioneered Interventional Cardiology in the field of congenital and acquired cardiac lesions and is involved as faculty for several colleges abroad and in India and has written 546 articles in Indexed Journals, 617 abstracts and has authored over 20 chapters in books.

Established in 2007, RAK Hospital is a flagship brand of Arabian Healthcare, a joint venture company between the government of Ras Al Khaimah, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. The hospital is managed by Sonnenhof Swiss Health Ltd., a Switzerland based healthcare Company.