Healthcare Questions — Answered by Experts

Iswarya Hospital on OMR (110, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Kottivakkam) is equipped for 24×7 primary PCI — emergency angioplasty for heart attacks — with a digital catheterisation laboratory for urgent cardiac assessment and treatment. The hospital is NABH Certified and supports cashless treatment under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY), CGHS, ECHS, and 25+ insurance providers. Call the emergency line at 044 2025 2025.

Seek immediate cardiology care for: sudden chest pain or pressure, pain radiating to the left arm, jaw, or back; unexplained breathlessness at rest or on mild exertion; dizziness with palpitations or fainting; sudden profuse sweating without exertion; and swelling of the legs with breathlessness (signs of heart failure). These symptoms may indicate a heart attack, unstable angina, or arrhythmia — all requiring immediate emergency evaluation. Call Iswarya Hospital Emergency: 044 2025 2025 (24×7).

Both angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) treat blocked coronary arteries, but they work differently. Angioplasty (PCI) is a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure — a balloon opens the blockage and a stent is placed to keep the artery open. It requires no general anaesthesia, typically takes 1–2 hours, and hospital stay is 1–2 days. CABG (bypass surgery) is open-heart surgery that creates a new route around blocked arteries using a graft from another blood vessel in the body. It requires 3–6 hours under general anaesthesia and 5–7 days of hospitalisation. PCI is preferred for 1–2 vessel disease; CABG is preferred for multi-vessel or left main coronary artery disease, diabetic patients, and left ventricular dysfunction. Iswarya Hospital offers both procedures 24×7.

Robotic-assisted surgery for cancer is clinically validated and widely used for prostate, colorectal, gynaecologic, and certain thoracic cancers. Compared with open surgery, robotic surgery offers superior precision with 3D magnified vision, smaller incisions, significantly less blood loss, lower infection risk, and faster recovery. Iswarya Hospital, OMR Chennai, performs robotic oncology procedures in NABH Certified operating theatres with dedicated oncosurgeons and anaesthesia teams.

CAR T-Cell therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy) is an advanced form of cancer immunotherapy where a patient's own T-cells are genetically engineered in a laboratory to recognise and destroy cancer cells. It is approved for blood cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and large B-cell lymphoma in patients who have not responded to standard chemotherapy. Iswarya Hospital, OMR Chennai, is among the limited centres in Tamil Nadu offering CAR T-Cell therapy as part of its comprehensive haematology-oncology programme.

Radiation therapy for breast cancer typically involves 15 to 25 sessions (fractions) delivered over 3 to 5 weeks, depending on the cancer stage, tumour characteristics, and the treatment protocol selected by the oncology team. Hypofractionated regimens (15–16 sessions) are increasingly used for early-stage breast cancer. Iswarya Hospital's Radiation Oncology department uses LINAC-based radiotherapy with Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) to maximise tumour targeting and minimise radiation to surrounding healthy tissue including the heart and lungs.

Iswarya Hospital, located on OMR Kottivakkam (approximately 4 km from Sholinganallur Signal), is a registered kidney transplant centre offering both living donor and cadaveric (deceased donor) kidney transplantation, managed by a dedicated nephrology and transplant surgery team led by Dr. Muthu Kumar P. The hospital also performs ABO-incompatible transplants and provides comprehensive pre- and post-transplant dialysis and follow-up care.

Both dialysis and kidney transplant treat end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but a successful kidney transplant generally provides a better quality of life, longer survival, and freedom from thrice-weekly dialysis sessions. Haemodialysis typically requires 3–4 hour sessions three times per week and is life-sustaining but not curative. Kidney transplant replaces failed kidney function with a healthy donor kidney, allowing patients to live a near-normal life without dialysis. However, transplant requires lifelong immunosuppressant medication to prevent rejection and suitable donor matching. Not all patients are immediate transplant candidates — dialysis bridges them until a suitable donor is available. Iswarya Hospital's Nephrology department, led by Dr. Muthu Kumar P., offers both living donor and cadaveric kidney transplantation.

Yes. Iswarya Hospital, OMR Chennai, is empanelled under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY), the Government of India's flagship health insurance scheme. The hospital also supports cashless treatment under CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme), ECHS (Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme), and ESI (Employee State Insurance). Additionally, Iswarya Hospital accepts cashless insurance from 25+ private TPA partners including Star Health, ICICI Lombard, Niva Bupa, Aditya Birla, HDFC Ergo, and more. Contact the billing desk at 044 2025 2025 for pre-authorisation assistance.

Act on the FAST mnemonic immediately: Face drooping (one side), Arm weakness, Speech difficulty — Time to call emergency services. Every minute of delayed stroke treatment results in approximately 2 million neurons lost. Thrombolysis (clot-busting medication) must be administered within 4.5 hours of symptom onset for maximum benefit. Iswarya Hospital's Emergency Department on OMR is staffed 24×7 for immediate stroke response — CT imaging within 45 minutes of arrival and thrombolysis within the golden hour. Call 044 2025 2025 immediately.

Open surgery requires a single large incision to access the surgical site. Laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery uses 3–5 small incisions (5–12 mm) through which a camera and instruments are inserted — the surgeon operates while viewing a live monitor. Laparoscopic surgery offers significantly less blood loss, reduced post-operative pain, lower infection risk, shorter hospital stay (often 1–2 days vs 5–7 days for open), faster return to normal activity, and smaller scars. However, not all conditions are suitable for laparoscopic surgery — complex cancer operations, emergency trauma, or severe adhesions may still require open technique. Iswarya Hospital performs laparoscopic surgery for appendectomy, cholecystectomy, hernia repair, hysterectomy, and many GI operations.

CT (Computed Tomography) uses X-rays to produce detailed cross-sectional images — it is faster (5–10 minutes), more widely available, and superior for bones, lungs, abdomen trauma, and acute bleeding in the brain. It involves ionising radiation. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses magnetic fields and radio waves (no radiation) — it provides superior soft-tissue contrast, making it the preferred choice for brain and spinal cord conditions, joint and ligament injuries, pelvic and abdominal organs, and cancer staging in soft tissues. MRI takes 20–60 minutes and is more expensive. Your doctor will recommend the appropriate scan based on your clinical condition. Iswarya Hospital's Radiology department has 24×7 CT and MRI availability, including 3T MRI for superior image quality.