NICVD introduces treatment to prevent paralysis after stroke

Heart transplantation facility to be made functional at hospital from next year, says NICVD head

KARACHI:

The National Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases (NICVD) has introduced a new treatment, similar to angioplasty, for patients of paralysis sroke.

Employed for the first time in Pakistan, the treatment involves inserting a stent- a small tube- into a blocked nerve in the patient's brain, said NICVD chairperson Dr Nadeem Qamar. He said that inserting a stent into the nerve, though, was a an hour-long and complex procedure, it helped prevent paralysis after patients suffered a stroke- a condition that can lead to paralysis if not treated in time.

Besides, Dr Qamar said the preparations for a heart transplantation facility at the NICVD were underway and it was expected to be made functional next year. In this connection, he added, the National Assembly and Senate had passed the Transplantation of Human Organ and Tissue Act 2010, permitting posthumous organ donation for organ transplantation.

He also stressed the need to raise awareness about organ donation and transplantation on the national level.

Dr Qamar further explained that a dead person's heart must be transplanted within six hours of brain death and recipients needed to undergo bridging to transplantation in the first phase of transplantation.

He said the bridging to transplantation involved the implantation of a ventricular assisted device in the recipient's heart six months prior to actual transplantation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2020.