Dr. Naresh Trehan

CMD, Medanta

The Exchange will serve to expand knowledge, promote innovation and foster shared learning.

 

Welcome to The Exchange

 

I am delighted to introduce this first edition of The Exchange; the Medanta newsletter. We intend to make it a regular publication and use it to keep you in touch with news and developments at Medanta which relate to you. In this and future editions, we shall be reporting information from a Medanta perspective, which we hope, will serve to expand knowledge, promote innovation and foster shared learning. The Exchange; will cater to all our partners in the field of healthcare and will reach you bimonthly.
 We hope to hear from you and welcome your feedback.

 

About us

 

Medanta - The Medicity Dedicated to Life

Medanta - The Medicity is one of Asia's most reputed multi super-specialty hospitals located in Gurugram, the corporate nerve-centre of the National Capital Region of Delhi. Founded by eminent cardiac surgeon, Dr. Naresh Trehan, the institution was set up in 2009 with the aim of enhancing access to highest standards of healthcare and further clinical research, education and training in India.

Our Philosophy

Medanta - The Medicity is a conglomeration of medical intelligentsia, cutting–edge technology, and state-of-the-art infrastructure with a highly integrated and comprehensive information system. With an outstanding pool of doctors and clinical researchers at the ready, Medanta continually fosters cohort-driven, multi-disciplinary approach to treatment, inspiring new ideas and translating scientific advances into industry best practices. Our philosophy of healthcare delivery is to integrate modern and traditional forms of medicine in order to provide accessible and affordable healthcare.

Standards and Accreditations

Medanta - The Medicity is accredited with the world's most stringent quality standards including the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) and the Joint Commission International (JCI). Super-specialty institutes within the hospital are led by exceptional medical practitioners who are leaders in their respective fields. The hospital is spread across 43 acres, over 1,250 beds and 45 operation theatres, and caters to over 20 specialties and 9 centres of excellence.

Telemedicine Services

Enhancing the access to highest quality healthcare, Medanta's eClinic platform www.medantaeclinic.org allows patients to remotely consult Medanta doctors from any part of the world. Consultation is done through phone call, email or video conferencing via any network enabled device, such as a laptop, mobile or tablet.

Emergency and Trauma Care

Medanta - The Medicity runs a world class Emergency and Trauma Care facility with ACLS trained staff. 
 Transcending geographical barriers, together with Flying Doctors India, Medanta's dedicated team of specially trained doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff, air-evacuates patients from remotest corners of the country, through air ambulance. Medanta is one of the few medical institutions in India capable of providing tertiary medical care onboard a specially enabled aircraft.

Enhancing Access 

Medanta is actively contributing to advancements in medical science and is expanding its footprint in cities like Lucknow, Indore, Ranchi and Patna. Further plans of expansion are underway in underserved cities in a resurgent India, staying true to the high ideals of care, compassion and commitment. Medanta is always, 'Dedicated to life'.

 

Innovation

 

Life Saving Creativity - 3D Printed Titanium Spine

India enters the age of patient-specific 3D printed implants with first successful implantation of an artificial 3D printed vertebrae that allowed a young woman to walk again.

Tuberculosis is considered as a disease of the lungs, but that is not always the case. For a young 32-year-old teacher, the disease affected her spine in ten different vertebrae. Her condition deteriorated quickly; the disease caused such extensive damage to her first, second and third cervical (neck) vertebrae that she no longer had any support between her skull and lower spine. As a result, her head was sliding forward and her posture curved in a way that obstructed her spinal cord, resulting in progressive weakness in her limbs. She was also at risk of quadriplegia (weakness in all limbs) and even death, if her respiratory nerves got further compressed; but after a first-of-its-kind surgery in India at Medanta – The Medicity, she can now hope to lead a near normal life.

Dr. V Anand Naik, Senior Consultant, Spine Surgery

“3D printing technology adds a new dimension to complex spine reconstruction especially with a difficult anatomy and complex tumors and infection. It allowed us to replace the damaged vertebrae to bridge the gap between the first and the fourth cervical vertebrae.”

Dr. Gopal Kumar, Consultant, Head and Neck Onco-Surgeon

”The challenge for our team was to reach high into the neck without altering the position of the patient. The anterior approach and small working field, in cases such as these, are a necessity. Swallowing, chewing and movement of tongue - all the functions were at risk.”

Dr. Rahul Jain, Lead Designer of the 3D Implant

“It was challenging to design this implant because of the patient's complex anatomy. We also had to ensure that the implant does not impinge on the spinal cord or any other vital structures.”

3D printing technology with its wide array of application has opened up a whole new vista which promises to alter medical landscape in near future.

 

Case Study

 

Metal Hypersensitivity: No More a Barrier to Knee Replacement

First case of cement-less Titanium Nitride coated TiNi implants in India

60-year-old Ishrat Umar was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Both her knees were severely damaged and she had progressive pain that was not allowing her to engage in basic day-to-day activities. Having tried pain relief medicines, ointments and physiotherapy with not much avail, the orthopedic surgeon advised her knee replacement. While she was willing to undergo the procedure, her metal allergy was becoming a limiting factor for her to get knee replacement.

There are many patients like Ishrat, who, because of metal sensitivity are unable to opt for knee replacement. While it is a safe procedure in which the damaged knee is replaced with metal implant, in case of patients suffering from metal allergy, post-surgery complications arise often. 
 When Ishrat came to Medanta - The Medicity and met Dr. SKS Marya, Chairman, Medanta Bone and Joint Institute, she expressed her concern about metal sensitivity. When Ishrat underwent metal hypersensitivity test, the results confirmed her allergy to nickel and some other metals. Since knee implants essentially contain nickel, there was no way she could have received the traditional implants. After evaluating some other implant options available internationally, Dr. Marya recommended titanium nitride coated TiNi implants. Ishrat underwent knee replacement at Medanta and became the first patient to receive cement-less TiNi implant in India. A few months after receiving the implant, Ishrat has bounced back to normal life and is enjoying her golden years to the fullest. 
 Metal hypersensitivity is no more a limiting factor for undergoing knee transplant. Ishrat's success story is one of the several we have experienced with TiNi implants at Medanta.

 

Tech@Work

 

Fighting Cancer with Technology

Cancer treatment powered by high-end technology gives hope to patients.

256 Slice CT Scan

Medanta offers latest state-of-the-art diagnosis, by using 256 Slice CT, one of the latest technological advancements in the field of medical diagnosis. This is an innovative non-invasive imaging technique that is used for all kinds of cancers, to obtain a complete 3-Dimensional visual representation of the tumor in less than five seconds. This technology comes in especially handy for patients who face difficulty in holding their breath and can be used to obtain cross-sectional images of the tumour horizontally and vertically, from multiple angles and dimensions.

 

Cyberknife VSI

Cyberknife is a robotic radiosurgerysystem which helps in handling non-threatening tumours, malignant tumours, and other medical conditions. With the support of advanced technology, Cyberknife - available at Medanta - works as a detector to visualise the tumour, measure it with accuracy to help the doctor diagnose the problem and take necessary actions. A robotic arm is used in this technology to engage the radiation rays with any part of the body. A Lightweight Linear Accelerator, commonly abbreviated as LINAC, is involved with a Robotic arm, ensuring view from different angles.

Cyberknife is the world's only versatile, smart and intelligent robotic system for tracking tumour in real time for precise and accurate radiation treatment of cancer without surgery.
 Dr. Tejinder Kataria
 Chairperson - Radiation Oncology
 Medanta - The Medicity

 

Getting Well

 

Care for Caregivers

Caregiving is demanding. Saathi programme helps those caring for their loved ones deal with the emotional and physical stress that comes with caregiving.

The Medanta philosophy of highest standards of healthcare is personified in our program Saathi, which ensures that care is taken beyond the individual patient to the realm of his/her caregiver and family.
 Chronic disease and long hospital stays create stress, both physical and psychological, for patient caregivers. Our team of in-house Saathi experts conduct interactive sessions with them thrice a week, teaching the caregivers physiotherapy exercises, stress management, pain relief measures, yoga asanas, pranayam, and, healthy diet plans.
 At Medanta, we believe in expanding our horizon and creating a positive environment for patient welfare and beyond!

 

Spotlight

 

Medanta - The Medicity received awards for Leadership in Patient Safety and Use of Technology in Patient Safety at the Seventh International Patient Safety Conference held in Mumbai. The awards were given by Ms Anupriya Patel, Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. This is the largest Patient Safety conference in Asia with participation of 170 speakers and over 
 1,300 delegates from 30 countries.

 

Toolkit

 

Social Media for Doctors

Social media presents a great opportunity for patient engagement and spreading the word about your medical practice online. Whether you're starting a new practice or just looking to reach out to your patients, social media is an effective communication platform. Read on for some simple tips to efficiently leverage social media.

Be present where your patients are

Choose one or two social networks with the strongest patient presence, and start there. Facebook is a recommended starting point.

Keep your contact information updated

Your physical address, telephone number, email address, telemedicine coordinates and consultation hours, all of your contact information should be easy to find within your social media profiles.

Be searchable

When a potential patient types your medical specialty and local city in search bar, you should ideally appear at the top of search results. Such keywords (your specialty, the treatments or services you offer, your location) should be woven into your profiles and the content you post.

Share useful content

Use social media as a key vehicle for educating your patients on various aspects of disease and treatment. Post useful tips and articles for your patient / caregiver followers. This helps build trust and keeps you at the top of readers' minds.

Build relationships

Build relationships with your followers by sharing helpful content, answering questions patients post and, acknowledging comments and reviews.

Share regular updates

As you're posting general updates, or sharing helpful health articles, also let your patients know about any additional services you are offering or camps you are organizing which could benefit them.