BCCI president and former India skipper SouravGanguly Saturday suffered a “mild” heart attack and had to undergo a quick “primary angioplasty” to clear a blocked coronary artery, a doctor said.
The cricket icon is conscious and his condition is being monitored. He was diagnosed with three blocked coronary arteries after which a stent was inserted in one to remove the blockage, DrSarojMandal, whose team performed the procedure at private Woodlands Hospital, said.
A decision on whether to implant more stents will be taken later depending on his condition.
“He will be under strict observation for the next couple of days. We will be taking a decision on our next course of action depending on his improvement. His other parameters are fine and needs to be in the hospital for next three to four days,” Mondal said.
Ganguly was rushed to the hospital Saturday afternoon following complaint of chest pain.
“He had an acute myocardial infarction (MI). We have found three blocks in his heart. We have conducted a primary angioplasty on him and one stent has been inserted. He is awake and absolutely stable,” Mondal said.
“He suffered a myocardial infarction while doing the treadmill this morning. He had a similar experience Friday also. He was rushed to the hospital immediately and that helped us a lot in treating him,” the doctor said. An MI, commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to a part of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle.
According to an earlier account attributed to a doctor at the same hospital, he had suffered a cardiac arrest. A sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly.
A heart attack is a circulation problem and sudden cardiac arrest is caused due to an “electrical” issue.
Primary angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is a procedure which treats blockages within the coronary arteries and improves blood flow to the heart.
He has a family history of Ischemic Heart Disease, a condition of recurring chest pain or discomfort that occurs when a part of the heart does not receive enough blood. This condition occurs most often during exertion or excitement, when the heart requires greater blood flow.
A team of five doctors has been constituted to supervise his treatment, hospital sources said.
“When he was brought to the hospital this afternoon his clinical parameters were within normal limits. ECG and Echo were also done. He is responding well to treatment,” a statement released by the hospital said.