The First International Patient Safety Congress was inaugurated today at HICC, Hyderabad. Hosted by the Apollo Hospitals Group, the two-day conference was inaugurated by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospitals Group. This Congress was organized by Apollo Hospitals Group in concert with Johnson & Johnson, Philips, Quality Council of India, Joint Commission International, National Patient Safety Foundation, Indian Medical Association – Hyderabad Chapter, FICCI, APNA, Astron Consultancy, Medvarsity and other reputed organizations. The prime purpose of this Congress is to discuss how proactive practice in healthcare systems can improve Patient Safety. The multi-disciplinary invigorating learning sessions involve participants from all areas of the healthcare continuum, including clinical and administrative leaders, practitioners, healthcare academics, healthcare regulators as well as patients and caregivers. Key lectures delivered: Patient Safety priorities in healthcare Framework – A Safety Imperative Focus on Monitoring & Analysis 4 Essentials of Patient Safety – the challenges faced Best Practices in Patient Safety Panel Discussion on Nursing   Ms Preetha Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospitals Group “Emphasised that Patient Safety is a global responsibility which needs to be cultivated within every healthcare system. It is for the first time we have come together to address this issue, which focuses on the reporting, analysis and prevention of medical error that might lead to adverse situations. A challenging global issue both for developed and developing countries, Patient Safety also helps in defining quality healthcare. We have to come forward to train and educate people about patient safety which is a very important aspect for any healthcare provider.” Meeting these goals helps healthcare providers ensure a safe healthcare environment for patients. Accreditation is the most important initiative to improve Patient Safety standards in an organization, region or a country. Elaborating on Patient Safety, Ann Jacobson, ED, JCI said: “To promote Patient Safety, practitioners should identify problem areas in a hospital and thereafter develop practices to correct these errors. A global Incident Reporting System and evidence-based Patient Safety solutions should be part of Standard Operating Procedures. Sentinel events should also be tracked. JCI-accredited hospitals has a mandate to conduct a root cause analysis of any sentinel event within 45 days of occurrence. All these procedures will go a long way in ensuring better Patient Safety outcomes.” Recognizing that healthcare errors impact one in every 10 patients worldwide, the World Health Organization calls Patient Safety an endemic concern. “It is with this background that Apollo Hospital Group accords the highest priority to the safety and quality of care for each of its patients. The Patient Safety Model was first launched in a few Apollo Hospitals and has now evolved and been adopted across all the hospitals within the Apollo Group, in India and overseas,” revealed Ms Sangita Reddy, ED – Operations, Apollo Hospitals Group. Backed by a proper framework inculcating regular use of checklists, Apollo has seen positive results and is seeking to share these results with the entire healthcare fraternity. The response has been overwhelming, with more than 600 delegates from reputed organizations, healthcare institutions and professional societies across the globe participating in this conference. The Congress aims at putting together a Patient Safety Coalition of intensely focused, problem driven and knowledge-rich individuals. The world’s best minds are speaking at the Congress, including Ms Ann Jacobson (JCI), Ms Diane P (NPSF), Ms Geeta Mehta(WHO), Dr Giridhar Gyani (NABH), Dr Anupam Sibal(Apollo Hospitals) and many others.

ClearWay™ RX – Rapid exchange therapeutic perfusion catheter helps save larger area of heart muscle in heart attacks. Cardiac interventionists have now veered round to the view that it is not sufficient to bust the big clot that produces a heart attack; ensuring that the small vessels supply blood to the heart muscle is just as crucial. When interventionists attempt to thrombolyse or bust the clot that has triggered a heart attack, in most cases pieces of the blood clot travel down the micro vessels and get lodged there, cutting off supply to that portion of the heart muscle, explains Dr. G. Sengottuvelu, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. “”If there is good micro-circulation, then there is no problem. But, in instances where there is improper flow of blood right to the end of the vessel, it has to be corrected. If we don’t, then the amount of permanent damage will be higher.”” Cardiologists operate with the aim of saving as much muscle as possible after a heart attack has occurred. In an acute myocardial infarction, there is interest only in the block that caused the attack, but once that has been thrombolised it is essential to check for the myocardial blush score-to see if the blood flow has been restored. The longer a blush lasts it means the block has not been successfully removed-that there may be blocks in the smaller vessels, he explains. Recently, a 70-year-old man was brought to the emergency unit with a massive attack. “”Even as we sent in a catheter through the hand (radially) to thrombolyse the clot, it turned out that the re-perfusion was not so smooth. The angiogram showed segments of the smaller vessels being cut off. Through the traditional method of passing drugs through a catheter to bust those clots, it has been proven that over 50 per cent of the drug would be washed away and a further 20 to 25 per cent delivered to unwanted branches of the small vessels (that have no clots). In effect that means that less than 20 per cent of the drug will reach the target area,””he says. So the idea is to use a device that will prevent the microvasculature from clogging. Dr. Sengottuvelu’s 70-year-old was lucky. Apollo Hospital indeed had at hand a state-of-the-art device, a local therapeutic infusion device, the ClearWay catheter. It has a balloon at its end that “”gently weeps”” the drug into the targeted area, dissolving the clot. Typically such Occlusion Containment Infusion (OCI) equipment removes the occlusion (block) in the vessel. It contains the thrombus (clot) at the site itself and infuses the drug gently so that the clot dissolves. The prognosis for the patient is also better, and saves a larger area of the heart muscle.

Marking a new beginning in diagnosis of Breast Cancer, South Asia’s first-of-its-kind, Full-Field Digital Mammography with Tomosynthesis (3D) system was inaugurated at Apollo Speciality Cancer Hospitals, Chennai by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, in the presence of Mr. Jack Cumming, Chairman, Hologic Inc., USA and Dr. G S K Velu, Founder & Managing Director, Trivitron Healthcare. Digital Mammography with Tomosynthesis (3D) is the latest technology for breast cancer. This device Breast Tomosynthesis is a 3-dimensional imaging technology that involves acquiring images of a stationary compressed breast at multiple angles during a short scan. The individual images are then reconstructed into a series of thin high resolution slices that can be displayed individually or in a dynamic cine mode. Digital breast Tomosynthesis offers a number of exciting opportunities including the possibility of reduced breast compression, improved diagnostic and screening accuracy, 3-D lesion localization, and contrast-enhanced 3-D imaging. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “Breast cancer is the one of the commonest malignancies afflicting women. According to recent research data, over 16 percent of Indian women in the age group of 40-60 years face a potential risk of breast cancer. Beyond this, delayed detection can result in 1 of every 22 women actually developing breast cancer. As the pioneering healthcare leader, Apollo Speciality Cancer Hospitals is committed to fight the menace of cancer. Now, the contemporary Digital Mammography with Tomosynthesis (3D) technology at Apollo Speciality Cancer Hospitals Chennai, the first-of-its-kind in South Asia, will enable faster and accurate Stereotactic biopsies. This technology needs shorter examination time for diagnosis of breast cancer and also significantly improves patient comfort and convenience and will certainly motivate early detection”. Dr. Reddy added, “In standard mammography, images are recorded on film using an x-ray cassette. The film is viewed by the radiologist using a “light box”. With digital mammography, the breast image is captured using a special electronic x-ray detector, which converts the image into a digital picture for review on a computer monitor. The digital mammogram is then stored on a computer, for further use”. The benefits of digital mammography are at many levels: Quick and easy procedure Less discomfort to the patient Low dose of radiation Accuracy is better, particularly in the 40 to 50 years age group All images are archived and stored digitally and hence loss or damage of films will not affect patient care during follow up Since it is digital, it can be sent electronically to other center’s for another opinion Storing digitally creates an enormous database, which is useful to teach and train the younger generation.   At the inaugural function, Dr.G.S.K.Velu, Founder & Managing Director, Trivitron Healthcare said, “”As a part of our commitment to bring world class medical technology at affordable cost in India and other emerging markets, we are proud to be the first in South Asia to bring this 3-D digital mammography system to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. The launch of 3 D Digital Mammography / Tomosynthesis will facilitate the medical practitioners in early and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer in women.”” Mr. Jack Cumming, Chairman, Hologic Inc, USA added, “”Our advanced full field Breast Tomosynthesis with 3 D technology is a significant advancement in breast cancer diagnosis, including lower radiation dose, reduced breast compression pressure and improved cancer detection rates.”” Hologic is defining the standard of care in women’s health. Our technologies help doctors see better; know sooner; reach further and touch more lives.

The Economic Times-ET Corporate Dossier’s survey-India Inc’s most power CEOs 2011: Most powerful women leaders ranked Dr. Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group as the 5th among the Most Powerful Women Leaders. Along with the main survey, ET had also asked their respondents to do a separate power-listing of women CEOs. Dr. Preetha Reddy was ranked the 5th most powerful woman leader, with Ms. Chanda Kochhar, CEO of India’s largest private sector bank on top, followed by Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, India’s most best known woman-entrepreneur and HSBC’s Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai at the third palce and Axis Bank’s Ms. Shikha Sharma at the fourth. The survey, now in its seventh year, asked 500 senior executives from India Inc largest companies to rate India Inc’s CEOs on leadership, strategy and innovation, performance, stature, social contribution and governance. Promoters continue their strong performance in power listing, with 52 out of the 100 CEOs are members of well-known family business houses.

Apollo Hospitals Group Website wins the “Best Healthcare Provider Website” Award in the Internet Advertising Competition – IAC 2011 by the Web Marketing Association, USA. The Web Marketing Association (WMA) was founded in Boston in 1997 to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and corporate web development on the World Wide Web. The organization is made up of Internet marketing, advertising, PR and design professionals who share an interest for improving the quality of advertising, marketing and promotion used to attract visitors to corporate Web sites. The Web Marketing Association is the producer of the Web Awards, an annual award competition that is designed to judge corporate Web sites against an Internet standard and against peer sites within their industry. Now in its 15th year, the Web Award Competition has become the premier event for web developers and marketers each year. The Internet Advertising Competition Judges represent all aspects of the advertising and Internet worlds. Entries will be judged on the judging criteria and compete head-to-head with other entries within their specific category. Judging Criteria includes Creativity, Innovation, Impact, Design, Copywriting and Use of the medium. The Judges are experienced professionals with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in advertising design and technology and the objectivity to score entries according to a predefined set of criteria. The 2011 judges represented some of the best the Internet Advertising community had to offer, including: Arc Worldwide, BGT Partners, Brunner Digital, Campbell-Ewald, CNN News Group, Deep Interactive Asia, Digitas, EuroRSCG 4D, Google, IBM Interactive, imc2, JWT, LeapFrog Interactive, Mass Transmit, McCann Worldgroup, Razorfish, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Tectis GmbH, TMP Worldwide, Universal McCann Interactive and Wunderman / Y&R.

Apollo Health City – Hyderabad has become the first hospital in the country to be recognized as the “”Best Medical Tourism Facility for 2009-2010″” by Ministry of Tourism – Government of India. This prestigious National Honor was given on 28 March 2011 by Ms. Meira Kumar – Honorable Speaker, Lok Sabha in New Delhi in a glittering ceremony. Shri Subodh Kant Sahai – Honorable minister for Tourism, Government of India presided over the function, while Ms.Priyanka Chopra – Bollywood actress was the Guest of Honor. This prestigious National Honor was given on 28 March 2011 by Ms. Meira Kumar – Honorable Speaker, Lok Sabha in New Delhi in a glittering ceremony. Shri Subodh Kant Sahai – Honorable minister for Tourism, Government of India presided over the function, while Ms.Priyanka Chopra – Bollywood actress was the Guest of Honor.

Mr. Ghassan Mohamad from Iraq was admitted at Apollo Speciality Hospital Chennai with a type of movement disorder called Cervical Dystonia with Dysphonia. His neck was tonically turned to the left side always and affected all his activities as he had to turn around to face people, and for other activities. He had also lost his voice (dysphonia) because of the spasm of the neck muscles. He had visited many countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE etc., but was told no treatment is possible. A Deep Brain Stimulation surgery was done on Mr. Ghassan Mohamad, by Dr. R. Ramnarayan, Consultant Neurosurgeon, at Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai and his dystonia has been almost rectified. After programming of the stimulator his dystonia is almost gone and he is able to face forward and his voice has improved to about 60%. This is only the second such case to be done in our country. Sustained and progressive improvement is expected in over a period of time and Mr.Ghassan Mohamad would also be able to join back on his fireman job soon.

Apollo Life, a sister initiative of the Apollo Hospitals Group, launched Apollo M.I.N.D. Line, a tele-counselling helpline to address an array of psychological issues prevalent in society. According to the company, Apollo M.I.N.D. Line has been conceived to offer guidance and extend support to individuals of all ages in finding the right solutions to all their emotional and psychological problems – be it their professional woes, family troubles, or even a minor personal conflict that they are confronting alone. There are multiple such services available today, but the expertise of its service is one of its kinds. As a corporate social responsibility, this service is available freely to all students below the age of 23 to get the right counselling on time management and methods to deal with examination stress. Speaking at occasion of the launch, Mr.Yogesh Sethi, CEO, Apollo Life, said, “”We found that individuals find it difficult to open up and talk about what is bothering them concerning their friends and family. Added to the time constriction, they are even apprehensive in consulting a psychologist. Apollo M.I.N.D Line is for them, it assures complete confidentiality and anonymity to all the individuals. It is a safe comfort zone for refuge.”” Dr Savita Date Menon, senior VP – R&D, Apollo Life and a Clinical Psychologist, stressed the importance of a service like this in today’s competitive world. “”Time today doesn’t stand still for anybody. Every person has to be in a rush to get ahead with life. In such a world, it is necessary that people share their problems with somebody who can give guidance without being judgmental.”” To reclaim control over one’s life, a person has to follow just three simple steps: SMS ‘APOLLOLIFE’ to 54545 Register online Book appointment with their counsellor   This help-line has been conceptualized by some of the most distinguished clinical psychologists from the Apollo Hospitals Group, making it a credible source to turn to. Experienced to deal with highly delicate and personal issues, these counsellors will help people of all demographics within the society, from college students coping with academic or teenage issues; to mid-career professionals who need work place related advice; from young women suffering from various forms of abuse; to people over sixties, battling with anxieties of age. For more details and to register, please visit http://mindline.apollolife.com.

In an endeavor to spread awareness about prevention of heart disease and to emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in support with the Billion Hearts Beating Campaign organized “”Apollo Dil Ki Daud”” – a mini marathon today. 1000 people participated in the mini marathon supported by the Billion Hearts Beating Campaign. The marathon was supported by Manish Chaudhury, President, Delhi University Student Union along with CWG wrestlers Rajv Tomar, Anuj Chaudhary & Jaiprakash Nath; famous swimmer Khajan Singh; singers Ashok Masti and Shankar Sahini who feel that there is a huge need for such events to generate awareness among the masses. 200 doctors and nurses from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals also ran for the cause. Heart disease is the biggest killer in urban India today. It is estimated that 60% of the world’s heart disease will belong to India (and Indians) in the near future. Indians are genetically prone to heart disease. Our sedentary and stressed modern lifestyle just multiplies the risk. In fact, an Indian is four times as likely to suffer from heart disease as compared to his Western counterpart. A heart attack also brings a lot of emotional turmoil for the family; it doesn’t only affect the one who gets a heart attack. Addressing this concern, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals brought together 1000 people from Sarita Vihar, Jasola Vihar, Sukhdev Vihar, Ashram, Friends Colony, New Friends Colony, Defence Colony, GK-I, Jamia, etc, motivating them throughout the marathon would be a team of doctors present, also participating to spread awareness on the need of a healthy heart. “This marathon isn’t only about running – it intends to bring people together and motivate the community to take necessary possible steps towards a healthy heart. While we would encourage everyone to run, we also believe that its necessary to create awareness among people about the risk of heart disease if they do not adopt healthier lifestyles. The Apollo Dil Ki Daud could be the beginning for them to do that,” said Mr. Jaideep Gupta, Managing Director, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals has always promoted steps towards being heart healthy. Billion Hearts Beating in one such campaign with the objective to spread awareness and spur positive action, as the risk of heart disease can be significantly reduced. Such health parades accelerate the awareness drive on sensitive health issues and encourage healthy living.

Those who have been going under the surgeon’s scalpel for weight-loss surgeries had one concern – the ugly scar the surgery would leave behind. No longer. Apollo Hospitals has introduced a Bariatric Surgery procedure done through a single incision in the belly button that leaves no visible scar. Bariatric surgery reduces the size of the stomach of morbidly obese people. Till recently, doctors had to either cut open the abdomen or make at least three holes to do these surgeries. The new technique does away with cuts and multiple incisions. Surgeons in the US are experimenting with a method to use a pipe as thick as a garden hose through the mouth to do bariatric surgery without external cuts. At the Apollo Hospitals, a team of surgeons headed by Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan began doing these surgeries a few months ago. “Many of patients undergoing the surgery are young who prefer a scarless surgery, ” Dr Palaniappan said. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of factors including poor diet, lack of physical activity, and genetic reasons. It leads to various health problems such as heart diseases, diabetes, breathing difficulties and even certain types of cancer. While many of them are advised better lifestyle, for some surgeries are inevitable. Usually, patients with a body mass index of above 32.5 are advised the surgery. During the surgery, doctors either remove a portion of the stomach to make the stomach look like the sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy) or reduce it using an implant (Gastric Banding). In people with morbid obesity along with complications such as diabetes, the stomach is not only made smaller, but it also restricts entry of food into the small intestine (Gastric Bypass). This reduces the intake of food and absorption of calories. Many of them who underwent the surgery including Mr.Venugopal from Chennai, who weighed 140 kg, said he had reduced nine kg in ten days. Diabetics, who underwent the surgery have reduced sugar levels. In some others, blood pressure and cholesterol were brought under control. Doctors are expecting lesser complaints of sleep apnea, asthma and joint pain, the usual side effects associated with bariatric surgery.

The Newsweek – March 14, 2011 : With a fiery new energy, women are starting businesses, building schools, fighting corruption, harnessing new technologies and breaking down old prejudices. Whenever a woman gains control of her destiny, the local standard of living goes up and the values of human rights spread. So, this year and every year, the Newsweek will honor local heroes and the growing network of powerful women who support their efforts ! Dr. Preetha Reddy has been honored this year, as one of the 150 Women who shake the World by the Newsweek, for her efforts towards transforming India’s medical landscape among other great women like Ms.Madeleine Albright, Ms. Melinda Gates, Ms. Michelle Obama, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, Ms. Angelina Jolie, Ms. Condoleezza Rice and others.

Apollo Hospitals Group has performed more than 775 solid organ transplants for the year, 2010, making it one of the World’s Busiest Liver Transplant Centre’s. Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi has also completed over 500 liver transplants in February, 2011. The statistics portray an alarming need for organ transplants in India. According to the estimated statistics, every 3 minutes a patient is added to the list of patients needing a transplant. More than 200,000 Indians require organ transplantation annually, an estimated 20,000 liver transplants are required per year in India. The first successful adult and pediatric liver transplant in India were performed at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi in 1998. The first successful liver and kidney transplant happened in 1999 at our centre. While liver transplantation was established late in India, a tremendous progress has been made in the last decade. “We gave a commitment to the nation 27 years ago of bringing world class healthcare to the reach of common man. The success of our liver transplant program exhibits that we are second to none and India is well on its way to become a global healthcare destination. Our program has encouraged all sections of the society to come together to promote organ donation so that many more lives can be saved. Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, performed the first successful Liver Transplant in 1998 and in February, 2011 we have achieved a milestone of completing 500 liver transplants, while the Group has performed more than 775 solid organ transplants for the year 2010,” said Dr Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group. “Apollo’s comprehensive liver transplant care programme aims to provide effective health care by providing quality treatment to people with liver disease. The team at Apollo Hospitals has provided consistent results and maintained the highest standard for donor safety. As a result not only patients from India, but from around the world have undergone successful liver transplantations here,” said Dr.Preetha Reddy, Managing director, Apollo Hospitals Group. Liver transplantation is the epitome of advanced medical care where a team interaction is necessary to optimize result. It is not possible to achieve good results unless the departments of anesthesia, radiology, intensive care, gastroenterology, transfusion medicine, microbiology, pathology and of course the transplant team are of an excellent standard. A difficult operation should be broken down in to simple steps and different team members can specialize in one aspect of this major surgical exercise resulting in overall good outcome. This has been the mantra of the Apollo Hospitals transplant team. “Apollo Hospitals has five centers for liver transplant in Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Kolkata. Apollo is planning to establish a total of 6 liver centers and 14 kidney transplant centers in the next 12 months. Having established the first successful liver transplant in India we believe we have enough experience to establish liver transplant centers in other locations. This year we have already completed 500 liver transplants” said Dr. Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director Apollo Group and Senior Pediatric Gastroenterologist. Liver Transplant is often recommended as an option when other modes of treatment are not successful. The purpose is to replace your diseased liver with a healthy liver. Ideally, after a transplant you will be free from disease, and lead a fairly normal life as long as the transplant functions.