Medical Tourism Provider Raves about Service Standards at Wockhardt Hospitals

In another testimony to the quality and service standards at Wockhardt Hospitals ,IndUShealth which is among one of the well known medical tourism facilitator for North Americans has described the patient care facilties and post operative treatment at Wockhardt Hospitals as one as one the the best among the top hospital across the world.

Writing in his Blog ,Tom Keesling mentions about the Indian healthcare system in general and his experience at the Wockhardt Hospitals .

Tom was the President and CEO for hospitals in Kentucky and Michigan, specializing in turnaround services for financially distressed hospitals. His efforts resulted in the creation of high-performance, sustainable healthcare systems in the US

In his blog post "Wockhardt Raises the Bar for Surprise and Delight" Tom writes

I have enjoyed the personal satisfaction of watching hundreds of patients leave the United States in physical pain and financial worry, and returning from our partner hospitals in India having benefited from an extraordinary medical and personal experience . As a former hospital CEO, I have marveled at how quickly the Indian healthcare system has evolved...and wondered if the US system could ever provide the same value if we could magically remove third party payers, and the other unique burdens of capitalism.

Talking about an incident at Wockhardt Hospitals Bangalore, where the local staff celebrated the wedding Anniversary of a couple while the wife was recovering from a cervical disc replacement. Unknown to the patient and her husband, the hospital team at Wockhardt Hospitals took the occasion of a previously arranged tour of the city to treat them to a surprise wedding anniversary dinner at a local restaurant...complete with music and chocolate cake.

This,according to Tom might seem a perfect example how Wockhardt Hospitals has succeeded in pushing up customer service to the highest standards,and raised the bar for surprise and delight.

Commenting on the difference in post operative care Tom writes "In the US, the patient only needs to be ready for discharge from the hospital...in India, the patient must be ready for the journey back home. So Indian post-surgical physical therapy is immediate and continuous right from the surgery.

Wockhardt Hospitals Featured in " Economist "

Wockhardt Hospitals had been featured in the latest edition of "Economist " in a article titled "lessons from the frugal innovator". Writing about the Indian Healthcare's innovation and rapid success that it has seen over the last few years, particularly in " medical tourism", the Economist pays rich tributes to private Indian Healthcare Companies who have successfully managed to navigate adversity into opportunity.This is inspite of Indian Healthcare being largely unorganised apart from the few state of the art corporate hospitals that has reinvented Indian Healthcare delivery by providing the best of quality service standards at reasonable prices.

Featuring Doctor Vivek Jawali, in its story, the man who created a history by doing an Awake bypass surgery on a fully conscious patient without general anesthesia or ventilator, using the technique of continuous high thoracic epidural analgesia, The economist goes on to say that this is just one of many innovations in health care that have been devised in India.

"Its entrepreneurs are channeling the country’s rich technological and medical talent towards frugal approaches that have much to teach the rich world’s bloated health-care systems. Dr Jawali is feted today as a pioneer, but he remembers how Western colleagues ridiculed him for years for advocating his inventive “awake surgery”. He thinks that snub reflects an innate cultural advantage enjoyed by India.

Unlike the hidebound health systems of the rich world, he says, “in our country’s patient-centric health system you must innovate.” This does not mean adopting every fancy new piece of equipment. Over the years he has rejected surgical robots and “keyhole surgery” kit because the costs did not justify the benefits. Instead, he has looked for tools and techniques that spare resources and improve outcomes."

To read the complete story " Lessons from the frugal innovator".Please go here

Minimally Invasive Procedures for Non-Resectable Liver Tumors

Minimally invasive techniques are used at also used at Wockhardt Hospitals for the treatment of non-resectable tumours of the liver. These treatments are the options if surgery is not possible due to cirrhosis (or other conditions that cause poor liver function), the location of the tumor within the liver, or other health problems.

These techniques include

• RFA: Radio-frequency ablation of the tumour which can be either percutaneous under Ultrasound or CT guidance or during open surgery.
• PEI: Percutaneous Ethanol Injection of the tumour
• TACE:Chemo-embolisation of the tumour using interventional radiological techniques.
• TACE for unresectable HCC
  

Portal Hypertension :

Portal hypertension and its complications (mainly bleeding from Varices) remain important clinical problems despite advances in treatment and understanding of the disease. Professor Mathur is recognised world over as an authority in the management of portal hypertension with huge experience of managing more than 600 patients of portal hypertension since 1982. Researched and developed an effective, safe and economical Sclerosant (3% Aqueous Phenol) for Esophageal variceal injection.It has been used more than 1000 patients since 1983.Developed inexpensive Injector indigenously for sclerotherapy.

He has to his credit developed his own surgical technique for emergency rebleed - mathur’s modification of Sugiura’s procedure, which is recognized world over with rebleed rate of < 5%.
Wockhardt Hospitals,Liver Center also performs all types of porto-systemic shunts including the selective shunts such as Distal Spleno-renal shunt.

Portal biliopathy, a term used for clinical condition where patient develops obstructive jaundice due to compression of the bile duct by portal cavernoma , is well recoganised. Wockhardt Hospitals,Mumbai has a vast experience in treating such cases where portosystemic decompression by shunt surgery with or without biliary diversion that has resulted in permanent cure of the disease.

This is one of the few units in the country with capability and experience of treating portal hypertension with all available treatment modalities namely – medical management, endoscopic therapy, TIPS and SurgeryThe unit has large experience in managing case of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension and Budd-Chiari Syndrome

Dr Mathur has published about 30 research papers on Portal hypertension in International and Indian National journals and written chapters in books and regularly get invited to deliver guest lectures on surgical management of Portal hypertension at International and National conferences and CMEs.

To contact our Liver Transplant and to know about our Minimally Invasive Procedures,please write to enquiries@wockhardthospitals.net

Liver Transplant Program at Wockhardt Hospitals,Mumbai

Liver Transplantation

The department of GI(Gastrointestinal Surgery) ,HPB(Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery) and Liver Transplantation surgery at Wockhardt Hospital provides comprehensive management ie. Surgical ( open as well as Minimally invasive) medical,endoscopic,radiological and interventions for patients with complex problems of gastrointestinal tract, liver, gallbladder, bileduct, and pancreas. It has consistently given results comparable to the best in the world in the field of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver transplantation.

Liver Transplantation Program

The Wockhardt Hospitals,Mumbai has been running Liver Transplantation program which is recognised by the Govt. of Maharashtra under “The Transplantation of Human Organs Act,1994” of Govt of India. In September 2006 the 1st successful Live donor adult to adult liver transplantation was performed at Wockhardt hospitals, Mumbai. This was the first adult to adult LT using Right liver graft in the entire western and central India.

Clinical Facilities at the Wockhardt Hospitals, Liver Transplant Center

• Liver Transplantation ICU of International Standards managed by Nurses specially trained for managing LT patients.

• Well planned Operation rooms equipped with: CUSA, Argon Beam Coagulator, Tissue link,Ligasure, Intraoperative USG with colour doppler,patient warmers, Rapid fluid Infusor system(level-1), Online fluid warmers etc.

• Anaesthesia machine and Multi channel Monitors and special monitors for Cardiac output and SVR .TEG machine for intraoperative monitoring of coagulation.
  

Supportive Departments:

• Blood bank with facilities for preparing blood components
• Laboratory for Hematology,biochemistry and Microbiology
• Radiology:
• Advanced CT and MRI for evaluation of Live donor : Dr Rajat Bhargava head of MRI and CT is an Expert in calculating Liver volume and providing the proper Vascular and biliary images
• Sonologist ( Dr Sonali) an expert in performing Intraoperative post Liver Transplant doppler USG
• Interventional Radiology: for vascular and biliary interventions

The Liver Transplantation Team:

The Liver Transplantation team is headed by Prof Dr S K Mathur MS,FACS and consists of

• Two fully trained Liver transplant Surgeons, a Microvascular surgeon 4 assistant surgeons.
• 3 well trained anaesthetists with experience in liver cases and liver transplantation
• Team of trained Intensivists
• Hepatologists
• Social workers cum transplant coordinators

Successful Liver transplantations done at Wockhardt Hospitals:

The team has done successful Cadaver as well as Live donor Partial(LDLT) liver Transplantations

Case 1: Mr Jogilkar LDLT from son to father (2yrs 6 months)
Case2:Mr Chaturvedi Cadaver Transplantation(1yr 5months)
Case3: Jitin 11 yrs LDLT Father to son (1yr 4months)
Case4: Mr Kathuria Cadaver Transplantation (3months)

Liver Surgery Expertise

Dr S.K Mathur has experience of more than 20 years in performing all types of liver resections for benign ( hemangioma, adenoma) as well as malignant tumors ( Primary & Metastatic). Following major resectional surgery of the liver; most of the patients make uneventful recovery and require one or two day stay in the intensive care and are discharged by fifth-7th day of the surgery.

Resections for large liver tumours are performed using advanced resectional techniques like hanging maneuvour, piggy-back technique, total anterior approach etc. Benign tumours of the liver like Hemangiomas, are treated either by resection or enucleation.

To set up an online appointment with our Liver Transplant or Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery please write to enquiries@wockhardthospitals.net

Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai
Mulund Goregaon Link Road,
Mumbai 400078
Tel no: +91-22-67994444 / 25664488
enquiries@wockhardthospitals.net

Live Workshop On Obesity Surgery at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai

Wockhardt Hospitals,Mumbai had recently conducted a live workshop on the obesity surgery at the Asia-Oceania Conference on Obesity.

Dr.Francesco Rubino from Cornell Medical Centre, the first person to perform research to establish diabetic cure by surgery was there to share his cutting edge research with other physician & surgeons. Similarly, Many other surgeons like Michel Gagner from Mt. Sinai Medical Centre, USA, Phil Schauer from Cleveland Clinic, USA,Martin Fried from the Czech Republic, Kazunori Kasama from Japan also participated in this mega event.

The Wockhardt hospitals Bariatric Surgeon & Chairman, Organizing Committee, Dr.Ramen Goel Stated that for the first time in the entire Asian region a program of this nature was held. Almost all bariatric surgeons from india too, participated in this program.Many patients benefited from this surgery as they were treated by experts in this field.

This conference was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research, was attended by hundreds of experts from the field of obesity & bariatric surgery. Eminent surgeons at the Wockhardt Hospitals, Mulund conducted live surgeries on obese patients. The bariatric surgery department of Wockhardt Hospital is a well equipped centre of excellence and attracts a large number of international patients for this kind of surgery, Last year, India`s heaviest patient, had undergone surgery at Wockhardt hospitals, Mulund.

The primary treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise. If this fails, anti-obesity drugs may be taken to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intragastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach volume and or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.

In general, bariatric surgery is successful in producing (often substantial) weight loss, though one must consider operative risk (including mortality) and side effects before making the decision to pursue this treatment option.

Complications from bariatric surgery are frequent. A study of insurance claims of 2522 who had undergone bariatric surgery showed 21.9% complications during the initial hospital stay and a total of 40% risk of complications in the subsequent six months.

Major Liver resection performed on an Eighteen-month old baby at Wockhardt Hospitals

“Major Liver resection performed on an Eighteen-month old baby at Wockhardt Hospitals”

~Baby Sumana gets new lease of life after removal of liver tumour~

Mumbai, April 11, 2009: The liver unit team at Wockhardt Hospitals performed a life saving liver resection on an eighteen month old baby giving her a fresh lease of life. The team led by Dr. S K Mathur, Senior Consultant Surgeon, HPB Surgery & Liver Transplantation; Wockhardt Hospitals successfully completed the four hour surgery on this little baby without any complications.

The one-and-a-half year old baby a native of Orissa was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare cancerous tumour that originates in the liver. To worsen matters, it was detected at a rather locally advanced stage complicating matters for the ailing child. After undergoing chemotherapy at another Mumbai hospital she was to Wockhardt Hospitals for further intervention.

“The chemotherapy that Sumana had taken served to downsize the tumour in her liver to make it more resectable.” says Dr S K Mathur, Senior Consultant Surgeon, HPB Surgery & Liver Transplantation, Wockhardt Hospitals. “But it was the late detection that had worsened Sumana’s case. Cases of liver tumors in such young children are very rare almost one in a million. Managing such a small baby for a major liver resection was quite a difficult task and such surgeries are not commonly done on them.”

If eighteen-month old Sumana could just spell it out, she would have agreed heartedly and thanked Dr S K Mathur and Dr. Mahesh Goel and Wockhardt Hospitals for giving her a new life.

Dr. Mahesh Goel, Consultant Onco Surgeon at Wockhardt Hospitals said “This is a rare tumor potentially curable if treated at the right time and requires highly technical skill set to perform such a surgery. The challenge lies in removing the diseased part of the live safely in such a small child without any complication, no loss of blood and with adequate margin of liver to achieve cure.”

Dr. Mathur also added, “Sumana stayed in the ICU for one day, oral feeds started on the first day and she was discharged on the fifth day. The cause of her cancerous liver tumour could probably have been genetic. But it is a potentially curable cancer in a child, if it is treated in the early stages. During surgery we had to take care to prevent excessive blood loss and hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature. If Sumana’s case had gone untreated, she would probably not have survived for more than six months.”

Dr. Sangeeta Shetty, Consultant Anesthetist, Wockhardt Hospitals said, “The hospital provides technical backup during surgery of such a young patient. Intra operative care is taken during anesthetic management of such a small baby which includes maintaining temperature, physiological status, intravenous fluid and ensuring this is continued in the post operative period.”

Also present at the occasion Dr. Ravindra Karanjekar, Associate VP, Wockhardt Hospitals Mumbai said, “Wockhardt hospitals Mulund has developed expertise in Hepato billiary Surgeries including Liver transplant. With the help of Harvard International we have set up a well developed Transplant program in the country and have successfully conducted few liver transplants in the city. Such complex surgeries are not possible without highly skilled surgeons like Dr. Mathur & Dr. Goyal and require a great team work of anesthetists, nurses & other paramedical staff. Intensivists also play a vital role in such surgeries. Surgeries as such are very critical & Wockhardt Hospital is always on the forefront to bring in newer medical services to western region of the country. Our motto is save lives at any cost!”


About Hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastoma is a very rare cancerous tumour that originates in the liver, which is one of the largest organs in the body. The primary functions of the liver include filtering and storing blood. The liver consists of left and right lobes, and it is commonly seen that most hepatoblastoma tumors generally occur in the right lobe. This disease primarily affects children from infancy to about five years of age. Most cases show up during the first 18 months of life. Hepatoblastoma cancer cells are known to metastasize or spread to other areas of the body. The most common sites of such metastasis are the lungs, into the abdomen, and in some rare cases to the central nervous system, bone and bone marrow.


About Department of Gastro-intestinal & HPB Surgery Wockhardt Hospitals:

Department of Gastro-intestinal Surgery at the Wockhardt Hospitals was established 4 years ago by Professor Surendra Kumar Mathur, recognised teacher and one of the eminent GI Surgeons in India. The department of GI, HPB surgery at Wockhardt Hospital provides comprehensive management i.e. surgical (open as well as minimally invasive) medical, endoscopic, radiological and interventions for patients with complex problems of gastrointestinal tract, liver, gallbladder, bileduct, and pancreas. It has consistently given results comparable to the best in the world in the field of Gatrointestinal Surgery, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver transplantation.

Headache: Symptoms and Treatements

Common Causes of Headaches

A headache is a condition characterized by mild to severe pain in the head; symptoms that are often experienced by may people the world over. The most common types of headaches are due to tension or migraine, or a combination of both. More serious causes of headache such as stroke, brain tumor, bleed inside the skull, infections (meningitis), etc are rare and it is advisable to consult your doctor if the pain is severe or if continues for extended periods of time.

Tension Headaches

Tension Headaches often develop after a hard days work involving physical and emotional stress, anxiety and worry. Most people experience it during the course of their lives but it is often harmless and tends to go away with a little rest. Tension Headache makes the head feel like it is in a vice like grip or like a tight band is rapped around it, both sides of the head are generally affected and there may be a feeling of tension or discomfort around the upper back, shoulders and the neck.
Migraine Headaches
Migraine Headache is a type of vascular headache. According to researchers the cause is often genetic.

Symptoms

Migraine attacks are a chronic condition associated with headache often on one side of the head. It is often accompanied with nausea, sensitivity to light & blurred vision. A pounding or piercing sensation is felt with the pain and it could range from being very mild to being extremely severe preventing the person from performing normal tasks. Headaches can last from 24 hours up to a few days.

Migraine headaches are most common among women in their mid teens to late forties; men also suffer from this condition but not as often as women.

Causes

Migraine attacks are caused by a combination of enlargement of blood vessels and a secretion of pain producing substances around the nerves and blood vessels in the head. The cause of this secretion and enlargement is generally unknown. Many researchers seem to think that the condition is genetic.

Treatment

Early and mild conditions can be controlled with anti-inflammatory drugs, however the use of steroids is not recommended. Drugs that control nausea may also be used if the patient feels nauseated and is vomiting very often. A combination of aspirin and caffeine may be very useful to relieve the symptoms. Severe cases require specialised medical care and patients are advised to visit their physician to rule out any other causes.

Prevention

Migraine is a chronic condition, however patients can keep it at bay by following a disciplined routine - Eat at regular times, don’t skip meals, keep physically fit, try to get at least 6 hours of sleep a day during the regular sleep hours, avoid unnecessary stress and stressful environment, stop smoking and reduce the intake of alcohol.

What does the Doctor say?

Generally most headaches go away with a little rest. However one should take it seriously if there is a change in pattern of a longstanding headache, associated fever or vomiting, visual problems like blurring or double vision, it is advisable to consult your doctor. Timely medical evaluation and diagnosis is mandatory.


Dr Chandran Gnanamuthu, MD, DM, FIAN, FAAN
Senior Consultant Neurologist, Wockhardt Hospitals

Wockhardt Hospitals Launches E-One Emergency Network at Mumbai

Wockhardt Hospitals,MulundMumbai has launched the E-One Emergency care Network Services to complement its current ne Hospitals one of India's leading super-specialty hospital groups today to complement its current network of Intensive Care Units(ICU’s) located strategically across the central suburbs of Mumbai.

The E-one service is a comprehensive network which connects all Wockhardt Hospitals ICU’s through a fleet of well equipped ambulances thereby ensuring not only the immediacy of the response but also timely emergency medical intervention at a well equipped ICU. E-One Network ambulance is a mobile emergency service— a state-of-the-art ambulance equipped with sophisticated life-saving equipment and trained paramedics. Rtn Ashok Nangia, President Rotary – Mulund flagged off the E-ONE service in the City.

The E-One Network will currently facilitate critical care to the patients by connecting them to the Intensive Care Units located at Wockhardt Hospitals in Mulund, Vashi and Kalyan and Pancholee Hospital in Ghatkopkar. Currently the network has 75 critical care beds and the number is expected to go up significantly in the near future. The dedicated emergency service will initially have a fleet of 5 mobile intensive care unit ambulances equipped with all advanced life saving equipments. The ambulances are equipped with a suction pump, syringe pump, ventilator, defibrillator, oxygen cylinder along with all important medicines needed in an emergency. A team of specialists trained in Emergency medicine and a team of paramedics provide 24x7 support and cover.The service ensures that in times of medical emergency the patients are treated with new generation emergency care management protocols which are uniform within the Wockhardt Network of ICU’s.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Ravindra Karanjekar, Associate Vice President, Wockhardt Hospitals Mumbai said, “As most medical emergencies like a sudden heart attack, stroke or an accident does not give anyone the time to think and where to head to for emergency care, time and connectivity to the right centre is a critical factor. The E-One Network Care not only serves as a fully equipped ambulance but also brings the patient to the nearest Wockhardt Hospitals led intensive unit for further treatment”.

During a critical medical emergency when 67994400 is dialed at Mumbai the call is connected to Wockhardt Hospital’s E one central emergency care command centre, which promptly directs an ambulance from the nearest Wockhardt Hospitals ICU that's closest to the location of the emergency. These ambulances can be tracked through the network thereby ensuring constant monitoring of the status of the patient while the patient is in transit to the ICU.A two way communication system also ensures that the facilities at the Emergency bay and the ICU are kept ready to ensure minimum loss of time.

In critical cases expert guidance is issued via a dedicated telephone line by trained doctors from the closest branch of Wockhardt Hospitals. The trained doctor in E-ONE is in constant touch with the super specialists in the hospital. This ensures that no time is lost, and the immediate steps of treatment are already in motion even before the victim reaches the hospital.

Dr. Deepu Bannerjee, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals says "In most cases the first one hour after accidents is vital; it is called the Golden Hour, it is very important for the patient to get necessary treatment in this golden hour. Generally accident victims reach the hospital very late. The E-One service will benefit the patients in receiving the initial medical attention during an emergency and reaching the appropriate ICU unit on time as the biggest challenge in Mumbai today is reaching the right destination on time.”

Flagging off the E-One Network Rtn Ashok Nangia President Rotary, said, "This is an excellent initiative by Wockhardt Hospitals to save lives. The quality of Medical care rendered during an emergency decides the outcome of the quality of life. E-ONE as a comprehensive emergency care service is a solution which Mumbai needs”.

Dr. Manjeet Juneja, consultant cardiologist Wockhardt Hospitals Mumbai said, “The science of medical emergency management is evolving rapidly across all specialities.It is important that patients receive the most appropriate therapies of treatment and in this context we are backing the E one emergency care network service with a team of super specialists across different specialities who can provide the most contemporary critical care”.