Apollo Hospitals has launched a state-of-the-art cardiac facility ‘centre for advanced cardiac care' (CACC) at Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad and appointed renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and former director, NIMS, Dr D Prasada Rao. This was announced at a press conference by Sangita Reddy, executive director, Apollo Hospitals Group, here today. Dr D. Prasada Rao, chief cardiothoracic surgeon and Dr. Shiv Kumar, chief cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad were present.



The CACC has been specially envisaged to address the ever expanding pandemic of heart disease in Andhra Pradesh. CACC will cater to the needs of the patients from the twin cities and Telangana districts.  



CACC has dedicated, highly qualified and experienced cardiology & cardiothoracic teams, skilled technologists and support staff ably backed by a modern multi-specialty medical facility. The centre is equipped with state of the art modern flat panel cardiac catheterization laboratory. To provide care on par with the best cardiac facilities in the country, the Centre has acquired latest technology including Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) and intra vascular ultrasound (IVUS).



Fractional Flow Reserve differentiates between a serious and a non serious block and aids the cardiologist in avoiding unnecessary interventions and placing of stents. While, IVUS verifies the correctness of stent placement to avoid complications at a later date. These two procedures benefit the patient by ensuring appropriate treatment and optimize the cost of treatment.



The cardiothoracic team under the leadership of Dr Prasada Rao plans to develop Heart transplantation and implementation of artificial Heart for patients suffering from heart failure at the CACC at Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad.



Speaking at the press conference Dr. Shiva Kumar said the burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) is projected to double from 2005 to 2015. By 2030, an estimated 18 million productive life years (age 35-64 years) will be lost in India compared to 2 million in US. The projected cumulative loss of $ 17 billion (Rs. 8500 crore ) in GDP from 2005 to 2015. He said Indians with CAD in the below 30 years of age category will go up from 6.1% in 2005 to 10.5% in 2015 and number of CAD deaths in below 30 years age category will be up from 0.25 in 2005 to 0.42 by 2015.