Aizawl, Nov 25 : VL Bela, who cut his 100th birthday cake on October 11, claims to be the oldest surviving heart patient in India. The retired schoolteacher, who now lives at Tuikual locality here, had created history by undergoing “stent angioplasty” in Kolkata at the age of 95 and became the oldest man in the world to survive the operation.
Dr Tarun Praharaj, director of Cardiac Catherisation Laboratory and senior interventional cardiologist at the BM Birla Heart Research Centre, successfully performed the angioplasty on Bela on April 23, 2005.
When his doctor visited him on his becoming a centenarian, he found him to be in good health. Stent angioplasty of coronary arteries at above 80 years of age is known to be causing acute cardiac and non-cardiac complications like renal failure and bleeding and eventually, resulting in death.
A team, led by Praharaj, went ahead with the angioplasty and cleared the blockade. The patient survived.
Bela had a history of chest pain and heart attack before he underwent the operation. Doctors in Aizawl said the pain was a result of age-related complications and an earlier heart attack.
“I would have died five years ago had I accepted what the doctors here told me and not insisted on going to Kolkata,” Bela recollected. After arriving in Kolkata, Bela enquired about the treatment available.
On being informed about angioplasty, he wanted to go for it. The spirit shown by him at such an advanced age amazed the doctors.
“He was stubborn and desperately wanted us to perform the procedure on him. We held a meeting and decided that nobody is too old not to enjoy life for a few more years.
There was a case reported from London aged 91 and one from Brazil.
To the best of my knowledge, no case has been reported in this country earlier,” Dr Prahajar said.
Bela is stated to be the longest surviving heart patient not only in India but also in South East Asia.
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