Get yourself an artificial heart and doctors of Bangalore’s Narayana Hrudayalaya will plug it in for you. The life-saving device costs only Rs 34 lakh.
On 20th March, 54-year-old Venkatakrishnaiah became the first Asian to have an artificial heart implantation. An engineer by profession, he had a severe heart attack in 2003. Despite a bypass surgery, he was unable to work and took voluntary retirement.
A team of doctors of Narayana Hrudayalaya, under the guidance of their counterparts of University of Minnesota, the US, successfully performed the transplant on Venkata Krishnaiah, a chronic diabetic and heart patient, which had cost the hospital about Rs 45 lakh.
However, the hospital, as a gesture waived off the entire charges, including Rs 35 lakh cost on Ventrassist (left ventricular assist device) and Rs 10 lakh surgery expenses.
Ventrassist is being manufactured by an Australian based company and is a new third generation implantable blood pump primarily designed as an alternative to heart transplantation to people with heart failure.
The hospital is prepared to perform this surgery on those who are ready to bear the gadget cost. Hospital charges would be waived.
Krishanaiah said he was happy that he has now recovered and could engage in normal activity.