A 76-year-old woman was rushed to the emergency room of a Chennai hospital a month ago with sudden weakness on one side of her body and slurred speech — classic signs of a brain stroke. However, doctors discovered a more complex condition: her heart was also in critical condition, with severely narrowed arteries and compromised blood flow.
Complex Medical Intervention
Neurologists at MGM Healthcare Malar Hospital quickly moved her to the cath lab. They used a catheter guided through the groin to remove a blockage deep inside the brain in the middle cerebral artery — the largest artery supplying the brain, which controls movement, speech, and sensation on one side of the body. They then cleared a blockage in the carotid artery in the neck, the main vessel carrying blood from the heart to the brain. Subsequently, cardiologists removed blockages in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.
Rare Co-occurrence of Events
Simultaneous stroke and acute cardiac events are uncommon in clinical literature, but their co-occurrence is not entirely surprising given risk factors such as diabetes and age. "Together, the neck and brain blockages triggered the stroke, while the coronary blockage put her at immediate risk of a heart attack," said Dr. S. Karthikeyan, the hospital's consultant interventional neurologist.
Single-Session Procedure
The medical team decided to address all three blockages in a single session rather than staging them across multiple procedures. This approach avoided the dangers of repeated anaesthesia, delayed intervention, and hemodynamic instability between procedures. "The 45-minute procedure helped us clear all the blocks. The patient was discharged in four days," Dr. Karthikeyan said.
Successful Recovery
On Wednesday, when the woman walked into the hospital for her one-month review, doctors found her fit. "She can manage most tasks on her own. She has no neurological deficits or cardiac complications," he added.
