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Singer Shankar Mahadevan undergoes angioplasty after suffering from a heart attack

Singer Shankar Mahadevan undergoes angioplasty after suffering from a heart attack

Shankar Mahadevan is better and recovering now!

Written by Poorva Chavan |Published : December 11, 2015 12:49 PM IST

One of Bollywood's biggest music composers, Shankar Mahadevan suffered from two back-to-back heart attacks on December 6. He complained of chest pain following which he was hospitalised immediately. Mahadevan later underwent an angioplasty.

According to reports, his son Siddharth informed that his heart attack was mainly due to exhaustion and that he underwent an angioplasty on the first day itself. HE also said that there weren't any major blockages and he is now recovering. You may like to know about 8 first aid steps you should take in case of a heart attack

Shankar Mahadevan also tweeted that he is recovering now and also thanked all his well wishers and friends.

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What is an angioplasty?

Angioplasty is a treatment that is provided to the heart attack victim immediately within 1-1.5 hours which is the golden hour, after the attack. If help is not given to a patient within this time frame, the heart muscles are irreversibly damaged. Angioplasty is done to open blocked arteries and to restore the normal blood flow to the heart. It is not a major surgery however it is an important one if the person has blockages in the arteries.

How is it done?

During an angioplasty, the doctor inserts a catheter from a small artery in the leg or the arm into the blocked artery. The blocked artery is opened by inflating a small balloon in it. When the catheter is inserted, the doctor monitors its progress towards the blocked artery by watching it on a X-ray. Once a catheter is inserted a small wire is threaded through it and it goes above the clot. After this, a small tube (catheter) is inserted over the clot. Over this wire, a thin expandable balloon is passed to the blockage. It is then inflated and it pushes the plaque to the sides opening the artery for the blood to flow easily. Read:

In some patients, a stent (a collapsed wire mesh) is mounted on the balloon and moved over to the blocked area. as the balloon expands it opens the stent against the walls of the arteries and the stent locks in its place and keeps the artery open. After the procedure, the balloon and the catheters are taken out. Read an expert opinion about angioplasty and different types of stents used in the procedure.

Image source: Shankar Mahadevan/Twitter