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Dubai: Indian expat survives heart attack despite arteries being nearly 100% blocked

Rajkumar Rajendran was physically active, playing badminton daily, and did not know that he also had high blood pressure and diabetes

Rajkumar Rajendran, a physically active Indian expat who played badminton for two hours every day, suffered a heart attack in his sleep and survived it. The doctors at Aster Hospital, Qusais, diagnosed him with severe blockage in five arteries that supply blood to and from the heart.

An angiography X-ray revealed that the 41-year-old had nearly a 100 per cent block in three coronary arteries and partial blockage in two branching arteries. He then underwent a life-saving coronary artery bypass graft surgery at the hospital on September 23.

Rajendran, who is now recovering at his home post the surgery, said he could not believe his ears when the doctor told him about multiple blocks in the artery. “I was physically active and played badminton daily with my friends for two hours. I was fit and healthy. I cannot remember the last time I took any medicine,” he said.

He mentioned experiencing minor pain in the chest and the back during sleep. “It lasted for a couple of minutes. I woke up and sat on my bed. But then, the pain went away. The next day, I spoke to my brother about this, and he advised me to consult a doctor. We went to a nearby clinic, and the ECG showed a variation,” recalled Rajendran.

The angiography test revealed the extent of the multiple blocks. Rajendran had to undergo surgery and discussed the treatment modalities with Dr Pradeep Chand S Nair, a specialist cardiothoracic surgeon.

The presence of multiple blocks in all the coronary arteries made Rajendran’s case a complex one, said Dr Nair. “The blockage was 100 per cent in three of his major arteries. The other two blocks were partial but above 50 per cent. We had to clear all those,” Dr Nair said.

Besides this, Rajendran had high blood pressure and diabetes and was unaware of these ailments. These levels had to be managed before the procedure as well.

“Fortunately, everything fell in place within a few days, and we performed the surgery successfully. Before discharging Rajendran, we made him climb two flights of stairs. The exercise was successful. We discharged him on the sixth-day post-surgery,” said Dr Nair, mentioning that it is heartening to see your patient recovering well.

Rajendran and his family are also happy and relieved after the surgery. “We are happy that the surgery went well. We were a little concerned. But thankfully, everything went well. The wounds are healing, and hopefully, I could return to my normal life in some time,” said Rajendran.

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