She suffered a heart attack followed by recurrent episodes of irregular heartbeats
Doctors at Kauvery Hospital here performed three successive procedures to save the life of a 55-year-old woman who suffered a cardiac attack and a ventricular tachycardia (VT) storm (life-threatening recurrent episodes of irregular heartbeats in a short span of time).

Addressing the media here on Tuesday, the doctors said they first performed a coronary angioplasty to place a stent and open the blocked artery that caused the heart attack, followed by a radiofrequency (RF) ablation procedure to treat the irregular heart rhythm. The woman subsequently received a percutaneous defibrillator (a kind of pacemaker) implant as a precaution against future episodes of irregular heartbeats.

The doctors said Radha Balaji, who worked as a school teacher, had to undergo external defibrillation 14 times within a span of three to four days to control the VT storm until the RF ablation procedure was performed to permanently address it. “Not many people can handle multiple defibrillation procedures in such a short span. Moreover, these were mostly done when she was conscious. This shows her resolve, which helped immensely in her recovery,” said C. Sundar, senior consultant interventional cardiologist.