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November 5, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Best brains come together to mend
hearts New Delhi, November 4 If the latest in treatment for heart ailments is anything to go by, the wonder treatment of the millennium is surely going to be a simple, non-invasive, cost- effective procedure that seeks to treat heart problems and enhance the quality of life of heart patients by simply bypassing surgery! Speaking at an impressive gathering of leading national and international cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at the first All- India EECP Conference 2001 today, eminent cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan, Director, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, said the EECP treatment was very popular in the USA and China and already more than 150 centres had been established within a short period of time. "It is a safe and efficacious procedure. It is a proven non-invasive outpatient procedure to relieve the angina by increasing the oxygen delivery to the heart muscles", he added. Dr Harbans S. Wasir, former Professor and Head, Department of Cardiology, AIIMS, and presently Director, Department of Cardiology, Batra Hospital, said using the EECP technique without surgery and angioplasty could decrease the severity and frequency of the angina. This treatment could decrease the need for medication and improve the ability to participate in normal day-to-day activities. Known as Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP), the procedure is now available to people in the country as well. `EECP may be considered as the preferred treatment option for angina patients. Unlike bypass surgery and balloon angioplasty, EECP can be administered in outpatient sessions and carries little or no risk, is relatively comfortable and stimulates the opening of new natural pathway around narrowed blocked arteries’, said Dr Wasir, advocating the benefits of the new procedure. The procedure encourages blood vessels to open small channels that become extra branches. These channels are collaterals or natural `bypass' of blocked arteries, which eventually become permanent conduits to the heart muscles, boosting blood supply and oxygen to the previously deprived heart muscles and thus enhancing life. The technique was very simple, had no side effects, was convenient as compared to angioplasty and bypasses surgery and cost much less than the existing procedures, besides being completely non-surgical in nature, said Dr Shiv Shankar, cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad. Elucidating on the nitty-gritty of the procedure, he informed that EECP created a natural mechanism to boost the blood supply through adjustable pneumatic cuffs which were wrapped around parts of the patient’s body. The procedure increased the blood flow to the heart by 42 per cent using a pressure gradient in the blocked passage created by using the cuffs. This enabled small blood vessels that usually don't open up under pressure to open up and increased the blood flow. Not only were the young heart patients benefiting from this procedure even the elderly and those patients suffering from diabetes, hypertension, renal and liver ailments could be treated simultaneously for co-existing heart problems, which would be impossible with other techniques, says Dr Shiv Shankar. In a developing country like India where health facilities left a lot to be desired and were out of reach for many in far- flung areas, the EECP was a technique which could provide yeoman service to economically challenged patients. Dr Ravi Kasliwal, eminent heart specialist from Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, said the EECP could be administered in outpatient sessions. This was less costly than in-patient treatment. He informed the gathering that Escorts had led the way by installing the EECP machine at the hospital with encouraging results. |
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Managing cancer with
care New Delhi, November 4 Dr S. Khanna, Director, Dharamshila Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, in her welcome address said the objective of the conference was to exchange wealth of knowledge and experience gained by all of us and pass the benefits to the cancer patients. “To improve cancer cure rates, we have to use uniform and internationally acceptable treatment protocols with one primary concern - concern for the well- being of the patient”, he added. The conference tried to highlight important advances and achievements in different areas of cancer care in a compact programme. Eminent national and international oncologists delivered the lectures. A large number of delegates from all parts of the country participated in the conference. In one of the sessions, DR S. Pradhan, Head of Department, Surgical Oncology covered the topic of complex skull base and surgeries, from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Dr M.S. Ganesh, surgical oncologist at Dharamshila Cancer Hospital, informed that such surgeries were being carried out at DCH and RC, which is one of the few centres in the country doing such complex surgeries. Dr M.V. Natarajan from Chennai talked about the management of bony tumours of upper and lower limbs. Previously, treatment of these tumours required amputation but with recent advances in treatment limbs can be saved. This treatment, however, required integrated facilities for cancer care and should be carried out at dedicated cancer centres only. In another session, advances in radiotherapy techniques were highlighted. One of the important new concepts in radiotherapy is brachytherapy. In brachytherapy, the radiation source is placed within the tumour to deliver high doses of radiation while avoiding the side effects of radiation. Dr Dinesh Singh, Senior Consultant, Radiation Oncology, informed that DCH and RC was one the first centres to be equipped with high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. HDR brachytherapy is the latest technique of brachytherapy and has significant advantages over conventional techniques. DCH and RC has the credit of being the only hospital in India doing brachytherapy for brain tumours. In a session on chemotherapy, Dr S.S. Legha from M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre, Texas, USA, highlighted the advances taking place in this field. He talked about the new anti-cancer drugs and new drug delivery systems. With the newer approaches, it is becoming possible to cure more and more cases, many with cancer in advanced stage. The last session focussed on areas of pain and nutritional support. It was highlighted that no cancer patient should be suffering from pain. Adequate pain relief is the right of every cancer patient. WHO recommendations suggest that oral morphine should be a key component of this. DCH and RC is running a pain clinic and has the availability of oral morphine and skin patches to provide pain relief. |
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A clinic to stub out
smoking Noida, November 4 Dr Manmohan Singh said the Metro group of hospitals had initiated missionary work here today. Health care, he said, was a social cause and during his tenure as Finance Minister he had paved the way for the investment of NRI money in the setting up of hospitals in the private sector. These hospitals had filled a national need for providing quality health care at affordable cost. Dr Manmohan Singh said the ill- effects of smoking were much more serious than those of drinking and there was an international consensus on this issue too. Earlier, Dr Deepak Talwar, Head of the Pulmonary Department at Metro Hospital and in-charge of the clinic, said there were such clinics in the western countries but none in India. "We spend about Rs 18 crore on tobacco, Rs 27 crore on treatment of smoking and related diseases but have no arrangement for weaning smokers and tobacco chewers. In India there is dire need for such anti-smoking clinics where smokers can be counselled to leave the habit. We also need anti-smoking and anti-alcohol clinics. Heart trouble, lung damage and cancer are direct results of smoking," he said. Dr Parshotam Lal, Director of the institute and a known cardiologist, said the heart institute was the most apt place for starting such a clinic. |
Scientific back-up to be provided to
sportspersons New Delhi, November 4 “Play the game in the spirit of the game”, coined by independent India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, has become an outdated and discarded concept. Now, winning is everything, and winning medals in international competitions has become a national obsession. The recent cases of Indian sportspersons testing positive for dope clearly exposes the “official-expert” nexus in breeding a new crop of sportspersons who would be “winners” in the international fora. The National Sports Policy 2001, which is due for implementation, has given due weightage to “the significance of scientific back-up to sports, and accordingly, action will be initiated to strengthen this area, in accordance with international standards”. Even ‘desi’ sports medicine experts admit that without “scientific back-up” Indian sports persons cannot hope to achieve excellence and capture medals in international competitions like the Olympic Games and Asian Games. “But how expertly and diligently the scientific back-up is provided, is the key to success”, they assert. “Experts would be associated with each sports discipline or groups of sports disciplines, on a continuing basis, to provide the requisite support in terms of nutrition, psychology, medicine, pharmacology, physiology, bio-mechanics and anthropometry, as well as other branches of sports sciences”, documents the National Sports Policy 2001. Of late there has been criticism at some quarters at the application of ‘alternate medicine’, particularly ayurvedic preparations, among the trainees at national camps as food “supplements”, which, reportedly, had led to many positive dope cases. But the new Sports Policy assures that “suitable mechanisms would be introduced to achieve co-ordination between the laboratory and the field, that is between coaches and sports scientists, and particular care taken to ensure nutritional support to talented sports persons to sustain their mental health and competitive spirit.” The Sports Policy document says, “appropriate research and development measures will also be initiated for the promotion of sports, and to impart special skills to promising sports persons so that they are enabled to give off their best in international and other prestigious competitions”. For this purpose, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and public and private organisations will be involved in the research and development programmes. “The SAI and NSFs (National Sports Federations) would take co-ordinated steps towards modernization of the infrastructure required for the training of sports persons and to provide them with scientific
support for achieving excellence in sports”, elaborates the Sports Policy. It says, “while the approach to import of equipment would, no doubt, bear the long term interests of the indigenous sports goods manufacturers in mind, the import of raw materials as well as finished sports goods of international quality should be permissible under Open General Licence”. For this (import of sports goods), “sports federations/associations and other recognised organisations involved in sports promotion, as also eminent sports persons, may be extended exemption from customs duty”. |
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Arjun Singh annexes Honda-Siel golf
title New Delhi, November 4 In one of the most dominating displays, Arjun aggregated 17-under 271 for the four rounds, matching Shiv Prakash's previous best tally during the 1988 SRF Open, thus winning the fourth 'major' of his career on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour. It was also his third title this year on the tour, after not playing a single event because of injury in 2000. Arjun won the Indian Masters in April, and the Hero Golf Chandigarh Open, last month. Twice winner of the title Uttam Singh Mundy of Kolkata birdied three of his last four holes to card three-under 69 for the day and 13-under 275 for the event. He took home a cheque of Rs 3.36 lakh, while Mukesh Kumar won Rs 1.89 lakh for finishing third at 18-under 270. Last year's champion Jyoti Randhawa fired the day's best card of five-under 67 to finish fourth at nine-under 279. “It is one of my proudest movements, winning the Honda-Siel PGA Championship on my home course", said Arjun, who finished with a bogey on the 72nd hole after pushing his tee shot into the bushes when a cell phone went off at his downswing. "I was a bit disappointed on making the bogey (only his second of the tournament) and at not breaking the course record. Arjun could have been four-under for the day after the first three holes with eagle chance on the par-5 first, and birdie opportunities on the next two holes. He three-putted for a par on the first. But if Arjun was unable to make birdies, his pursuers could never could put pressure on him. Mukesh, for the fourth successive day, started with successive birdies, but lost momentum with bogeys from third and eighth, before a double bogey on the tenth completely took him out of the race. Mundy, who started at 10-under, birdied the first from the bunker, but bogeys on the fourth and sixth, where he hit a great recovery shot from the bushes to the green, put paid to his ambitions of winning the title for a third time. "I am happy for Arjun. He played flawless golf. As for myself, I had a chance if I started like yesterday, and was four-five-under at the turn. That did not happen but I am pleased with my own performance", said Mundy, sponsored by Eveready. |
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Venkataraghavan for Mohali
Test New Delhi, November 4 The International Cricket Council (ICC) will post the other umpire. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Umpires’ Committee chairman C K Khanna, after a meeting of the Umpires’ Committee at the Delhi and District Cricket Association premises here, announced that A V Jayaprakash will be the home umpire for the second Test, to be played in Ahmedabad from December 11 to 15. He said the Indian umpire for the third Test to be played in Bangalore from December 19 to 23, will be announced later. The umpires picked for the five one-day internationals are: S K Sharma, K Hariharan, S C Gupta, I Shivaram, Vijay Chopra, S K Porel, A Bhattacharjee, Devender Sharma, Dr M S Mahal and C R
Mohite. |
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Ravi Lamba's team lift
OCA golf cup New Delhi, November 4 The second place was bagged by the team of Vinesh Khanna, Gaurav Kapur, B S Chaudhri, Nishant Chandra with score of 64 handicap 9 net score of 64. The event was played under scramble rules with each team consisting of four players. It was a great success, as 18 teams teed off, and the ultimate result was not known till the last hole. The golf treat was organised by the Old Columbans
Association on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of St. Columba's School. The event will be made an annual feature as the sponsors have announced their continued support for the event. |
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