Dr. kewal krishan- the man who continues to help hearts beat
Globally renowned Dr. Kewal Krishan is one of those few surgeons in India that are formally trained in all aspects of heart transplantation. He is the Program In charge Of Heart Transplant and Ventricular Assist Devices Sr. Consultant, Dr. Kewal Krishan has performed the maximum number of LVADs in one year in India. He along with other team members performed the maximum number of ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) in the country for patients with severe lung or heart condition. Dr. Kewal had also performed the first heart transplant at the tertiary speciality hospital like Max Super Speciality Hospital, which was the one to develop a 'Comprehensive Heart Failure Programme. A programme of this nature is done in tune with cardiac services like LVAD, ECMO and Heart Transplant. If the medical treatment is seen to be failing or for patients, who have undergone cardiac procedure previously and are still facing symptoms and problems then cardiac replacement therapies like heart transplant or ventricular assist device is proposed.
There are thousands of patients currently who lose their life due to lack of heart donors every year. For them, LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) is the only ray of hope. LVAD is placed in one of the chambers of the heart in the patient's chest which helps the heart pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. In the end-stage heart failure when a person's heart is too weak to pump on its own or has to undergo an open-heart surgery and can't wait for a donor the LVAD comes as a ray of hope to pull the patient from the jaws of death. But LVAD is an advanced procedure that needs special training and the patient needs to be carefully monitored afterwards. Dr. Kewal Krishan is a specialist in LVAD, and has performed it successfully on many of his patients. He has performed the maximum number of LVAD’s.
Dr. Kewal Krishan has an expertise in ECMO, when patients reach a stage where either the lungs and/or heart are damaged to reach a life-threatening state, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation or ECMO is used to rescue them. In patients with severe heart failure, it is recommended to use this device to provide oxygen to the body. When blood is removed from the body, it passes through a special membrane present in the ECMO machine which helps to remove carbon dioxide and adds oxygen to the blood, after this the newly oxygenated blood is returned to the body. The ECMO machine does the work of the heart, thereby allowing the heart to recover.
Doing such complicated and critical heart treatment and transplant procedures Dr. Kewal Krishan has earned the respect and trust of not only his patients but also from their families as well as each and every citizen of the country as he is using and has used his training, his expertise and his talent to save the lives of many.