A live trans-radial arterial angiography to treat a blockage in the artery of a patient was performed at Lilavati Hospital by Dr Shigeru Saito, a renowned cardiologist from Japan. The approach, if proven to be technically sound could soon be a substitute over the conventional femoral surgery performed through the legs (femur) of a patient.

Dr Saito was in the city to demonstrate the positive effects of the interventional trans-radial arterial angiography over the conventional femoral surgery. Having performed thousand such surgeries, Dr Saito feels its time that cardiologist opted for the procedure instead of the conventional groin surgery. As Dr Saito says, the approach is simpler and has superior advantages as compared to the conventional mode.

"Trans-radial interventions reduce the chance of bleeding and complications and is also the preferred choice especially with females who sometimes get uncomfortable with interventions in the groin area," says Dr Saito. "Also after performing the surgery the patient can move about freely within hours doing his regular duties and without any hassles. Compare this to the groin surgery which needs bed-rest and hospitalization for minimum 24 hours and more, making it strenuous to the patient."

In India, about 40,000 patients suffer from some form of heart diseases that require angioplasty/angiography whereas in Japan the figure stands at a surprising 120,000-130,000. In contrast, it is found that nearly 30 per cent of the patients in Japan are treated through the trans-radial approach while the rest 70 per cent opt for the femoral route. This number is quite huge as compared to India where the trans-radial approach is hardly followed.

According to Dr Saito, in Japan it is against the law of the country to operate on the patients through open-heart surgery. According to him, it's a myth in the country that if a person's heart is opened for any surgery the spirit might escape through the body. "Hence the only methods followed are the trans-radial and the femoral arterial surgery", says Dr Saito.