blood banks in bangalore

October 4, 2023January 4, 2024

Know It All About Angiography

Angiography is a medical imaging procedure that visualises the body’s blood vessels, particularly arteries and sometimes veins. It is employed to diagnose and evaluate various vascular conditions, most commonly in the coronary and cerebral arteries. During angiography, a contrast dye is injected into the bloodstream, which makes the blood vessels visible on X-ray or fluoroscopy images. This contrast dye allows medical professionals to pinpoint areas of blockages, narrowing, aneurysms, or other abnormalities in the blood vessels. The procedure is conducted in a specialised setting like a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory or interventional radiology suite.

Angiography is a valuable tool in modern medicine for diagnosing and guiding the treatment of vascular diseases. Know it all about Angiography and learn the different types of angiography and their essence in the field of medicine and if need be who can help you.

Types Of Angiography

Angiography is a medical imaging technique used to visualise blood vessels in the body. There are several types of angiography, each tailored to specific medical purposes. Here are some common types:

Difference Category	Coronary Angiography	Peripheral Angiography
Purpose	Coronary angiography is used to visualise and assess the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. It is primarily a diagnostic tool to identify blockages, narrowing, or other abnormalities in these crucial arteries.	Peripheral angiography is used to examine the blood vessels in the arms, legs, and other peripheral parts of the body. It helps in diagnosing and evaluating peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which involves blockages or narrowing in these vessels.
Procedure	A catheter is inserted into the femoral artery in the groyne or the radial artery in the wrist and guided through the vascular system to the coronary arteries. A contrast dye is injected through the catheter, and X-ray or fluoroscopy is used to capture images of the coronary arteries.	Similar to coronary angiography, a catheter is inserted into a peripheral artery, often in the groyne, and advanced to the area of interest. Contrast dye is injected, and X-ray imaging is used to capture images of the peripheral arteries.
Applications	Coronary angiography is essential in diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD), determining the location and severity of blockages, and guiding treatment decisions. It may lead to further interventions like angioplasty and stent placement to address identified blockages.	Peripheral angiography is crucial for identifying the location, extent, and severity of blockages or stenosis in the peripheral arteries. It aids in planning appropriate treatment strategies, which may include angioplasty, stent placement, or other interventions to improve blood flow to the extremities.

While both coronary and peripheral angiography involve the use of catheters and contrast dye to visualise blood vessels, they are tailored to different regions of the body and serve distinct clinical purposes. Coronary angiography is specific to the heart’s coronary arteries and is primarily a diagnostic procedure for coronary artery disease, while peripheral angiography focuses on the peripheral blood vessels and is used to diagnose and guide the treatment of conditions affecting the limbs and other peripheral areas.

Why Are Angiography Used?

Angiography is used for various medical purposes due to its ability to visualise blood vessels within the body. It provides critical information for diagnosing and managing a wide range of vascular and cardiovascular conditions. Here are some common reasons why angiography is used:

Diagnostic Purposes

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Diagnosis: Coronary angiography helps diagnose CAD by visualising blockages and narrowing in the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle.
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Diagnosis: Peripheral angiography is used to identify blockages or stenosis in the arteries of the arms, legs, and other extremities, which is crucial for diagnosing PAD.

Assessment of Vascular Anatomy

Cerebral Aneurysm Identification: Cerebral angiography is employed to detect and assess aneurysms in the blood vessels of the brain.
Vascular Malformations: Angiography helps identify arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and other vascular abnormalities in various parts of the body.

Treatment Planning

Interventional Procedures: Angiography guides interventional treatments, such as angioplasty and stent placement, to address arterial blockages or other vascular issues.
Embolization: It can help direct the placement of embolic materials to block or restrict blood flow to specific areas, often used in cases like bleeding blood vessels or tumours.
Monitoring Blood Flow: Angiography can be used to monitor blood flow during surgery or other medical procedures, ensuring adequate perfusion to vital organs and tissues.

Preoperative Planning: In cases where surgical intervention is required, angiography can provide surgeons with a clear roadmap of the patient’s vascular anatomy, aiding in surgical planning.

Follow-up and Surveillance: After an initial diagnosis or intervention, angiography may be used to assess treatment outcomes and monitor the progression of vascular diseases over time.

Research and Education: Angiography is also used in medical research and education to further our understanding of vascular diseases and to train healthcare professionals in the techniques of vascular imaging and intervention.

Who Performs Angiography?

Angiography is performed by a specialised team of healthcare professionals. Interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists are the primary specialists who conduct angiography procedures. They have advanced training and expertise in vascular imaging and interventions. These professionals are skilled in using catheters and guiding wires to access and navigate the blood vessels within the body. Additionally, a team of nurses, radiologic technologists, and support staff assists during the procedure, ensuring patient safety and comfort. The entire team collaborates to operate the equipment, administer contrast dye, and capture high-quality images of the blood vessels, enabling accurate diagnosis and, when necessary, immediate interventional treatments.

To Sum It Up

Angiography is crucial for diagnosing conditions such as coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, and cerebral aneurysms. It provides detailed information about the location and extent of vascular issues, aiding doctors in making informed decisions regarding treatment. Depending on the findings, further interventional procedures, such as angioplasty and stent placement, can be performed during the same session to address blockages or abnormalities, ultimately improving blood flow and minimising the risk of complications.

Overall, angiography is a versatile and indispensable tool in modern medicine for diagnosing, evaluating, and treating a wide range of vascular and cardiovascular conditions. Its ability to provide real-time, high-resolution images of blood vessels is essential for making informed clinical decisions and improving patient outcomes. If you or your loved ones are struggling to find someone for angiography procedures visit us at RRMCH’s RajaRajeswari Heart Centre a medical institution that are equipped on the parameters of faculty competence, faculty welfare and development, research, innovation, pedagogic systems, placement and infrastructure promoting affordable yet 24/7 critical care.

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019

Encephalitis (CHAMKI Fever) The Deadly Fever That Has Killed Over 150 Children In Bihar And Jharkhand Already

The news of around 150 children dead due to the chamki fever is already a topic of concern present day. The Supreme Court also has taken notice of this serious or grave situation and directed Center to immediately form a medical expert team for the treatment of children having AES.

An inflammation of brain, encephalitis commonly known as chamki fever is the inflammation of brain. It is caused by viral infection and affects the nervous system. There are two main types of Encephalitis namely Primary and Secondary. This fever usually occurs in kids and youngsters below 15 years of age.

The primary is caused due to direct viral infection to the brain while secondary is a result of a weak immune system and can be a result of infection in any part of the body. Presently, there’s an outbreak of this fever in Bihar and Jharkhand. Recently, even Bengal has reported three cases of AES or Chamki of which one is critical.

Causes

AES is known to be a viral infection but can occur due to mosquito borne viruses, Zika or Nipah Virus, Rabis virus, childhood infections, enteroviruses and herpes virus as well. In India the most commonly known AES causing virus is the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) as almost 5 -35% cases are that of JE Virus AES. Though, this year only two cases are due to the JE Virus and exact cause of so many deaths is not known. What is known is that the deaths were caused by hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels)

Symptoms

At the initial stage the symptoms are similar to mild flu and include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain. Though in the later or severe stage it leads to hallucinations, agitation, confusion, muscle weakness, hearing difficulties paralysis, sensation loss, vomiting, poor eating, body stiffness, skull bulging and more.

Treatment

There is not medicine yet for this fever and the mild one can be brought down through adequate rest and continuous fluid intake. Drugs like Tylenol, Aleve and Advil also can be used. Medications like Foscavir, Cytoven and Zovirax can be used for the viral Encephalitis only on prescription basis. Do not consume any medications with Doctors consult. At times supportive care like breathing assistance, intravenous fluids to keep the person hydrated, anti-convulsant and anti-inflammatory drugs against seizures and swelling could be required.

Prevention

Prevention is always better and hence to avoid getting this condition try to maintain hygiene at home, clean your hands properly after you visit the toilet and before eating food. Also, drink clean water and use mosquito nets and repellants when sleeping.

*Sourced from the Internet

Just know about The Rajarajeswari Hospital in Bangalore

October 18, 2017

Dementia Risk and Blood Magnesium Levels

Before we talk about risk factors associated with dementia lets just polish our information around the condition. This condition usually occurs at an older age and causes memory loss. Alzheimers is one of the most common forms of dementia known. Apparently, its not a condition by a symptoms or group of symptoms rather. You should also know that it does hamper our day to day routines because we tend to forget a lot. Dementia symptoms are also caused due to vitamin deficiencies and thyroid problems. Dementia occurs due to brain cell damage and most of them are generally permanent or increase with time.

Now, a study has found out that the levels of magnesium in your blood can associated to the risk of dementia later in life. The people with lower or higher levels of minerals in the body were subject to dementia more compared to the ones with middle levels. It has yet to be proved and nowhere confirm that it causes dementia but definitely magnesium levels do have a link with dementia. There are apparently two ways in which magnesium levels could be called as risk factor for dementia.

Coming back to the study, around 10,000 participant around 65 years of age were studied across 8 years span and their magnesium levels were checked at the beginning of the test. They were divided in 5 groups. The study findings showed that those with low and high level magnesium had 30% greater risk of dementia compared to mid level magnesium level participants. The lower and higher magnesium range is below 0.85 millimoles per liter and 1.10 mmol/L respectively. Though as the magnesium levels were not measure post eight years the results could have associated limitations.

Well, to prove that magnesium levels do determine the risk of dementia in later stages of life, further detailed study is required.

Know about Blood Banks in Bangalore

March 30, 2017

All You Need To Know About Blood Donation In India

It’s been a daunting task for a long time for the blood banks to meet the ever rising demands of blood in India. Figuratively, the need for blood in India arises every 2 seconds and is a mammoth 5 crore units in all. This makes for a requirement of around 40K blood donations every single day. Obviously, forget meeting the requirements, even coming to terms with these figures isn’t easy.

So, apparently, India is in need of donors all the time, 24×7. However, cliche or preachy it may sound, but donating blood is a moral responsibility, each one of us should take up if not regularly atleast occasionally during blood donation camps in your area or blood donation day or week may be!

Here are a few facts about blood donation to clear off any doubts or queries on the same –

BLOOD & TYPES
You can’t make blood, but what you can do is donate. It forms 7% your body weight.

O -ve donors blood cells can be used by patients of all blood groups, but has a low shelf life, hence is in high demand.

AB positive plasma can also be used by patients of all blood types, and has good shelf life.

Due to the short shelf life of blood components, a constant supply has to be provided, thus increasing the use of auto-transfusion methods.

Platelets need to be used up within 5 days, RBC’s in around 40 days, while plasma can be stored for almost a year, under refrigeration.

Due to a drastic shoot up of cancer cases and patients opting for chemotherapy, the need for blood has also gone up. Even accident cases are in dire need of high quantities of blood.

BLOOD DONATION
Blood donation is not only good for others but good for you too because it reduces the risk of heart diseases in men other than glucose and pressure reduction. It also helps patients with iron overload prevent toxic accumulation.

The blood banks, hospitals or social service organizations organize blood donation camps and are involved in associated procedures. From the whole blood donated, red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate components can be transfused, thus a blood bottle is worth many lives.

Potential blood donors have to undergo physical examination before donating blood. The basic requirements include minimum weight of 50 kg and age of 18 years.

Blood donation is extremely safe and either sterile needles or disposable needles are used for the purpose.

You can donate only 1 unit of red blood cells at a time at an interval of 56 or 112 days and as for platelets only 24 times a year that too only once in 7 days.

If you start donating blood at 18, once every three months by the age of 60 years, you would have saved over 500 lives – being a super hero is sure an extraordinary feat, but you can achieve it buy donating blood regularly, thus saving their lives.

Donate Blood and Save Life – Best Blood Banks in Bangalore