~ The procedure helps hemophilia patients with chronic synovitis and is as effective as surgical synovectomy. Yttrium-90, an element required for the treatment, is being procured from France ~
May 7, 2021: Amrita Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, in collaboration with the Department of Clinical Hematology, Amrita Hospitals has launched the breakthrough ‘Radio-Synovectomy’ (RS) procedure to treat hemophilia patients suffering from chronic synovitis. Yttrium-90, a necessary element required for the treatment is being procured from France, especially for this procedure. The Hospital is the only one to have introduced it for the first ever time in Kerala and this is the second such centre in the whole of India. The only other hospital to be conducting this procedure in the country is CMC Vellore in Tamil Nadu.
RS, a simple, effective and safe procedure helps control hemophilic synovitis, a condition wherein there is recurrent joint bleeding contributing to end-stage degeneration. Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder cause due to deficiency of clotting factor 8 or 9. The patient bleeds into their joints and is incapacitated by the pain and swelling. Ideally, this treatment is for patients who bleed even with factor replacement (a type of treatment where clotting factors are given to replace the missing clotting factor).
Elaborating further on the procedure, Dr. Nittu Devassy Panjikaran, Assistant professor of Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Amrita Hospitals said, “Radio-Synovectomy is an outpatient-based procedure that is done by injecting Yttrium-90, radioactive material into the affected joints under local anesthesia. It has been proven to be as effective as surgical synovectomy in patients without deformities. It is more economical, less painful, and can be repeated if required. It reduces the bleed rate by 60-80 % in the injected joint and improves the patient’s quality of life.”
Dr. Shanmuga Sundaram, Head of Department, Nuclear Medicine and Dr. Manjit Sarma, Assistant Professor, Nuclear Medicine, Amrita Hospitals facilitated the procurement of Yttrium for this procedure from France. A team of hematologists led by Dr. Neeraj Sidharthan, Clinical Hematologist, Amrita Cardio-Oncology Clinic, Clinical Haematology & Stem Cell Transplantation will be looking after the ancillary care of the hemophilia patients including administration of deficient factor replacement and supportive care.
Amrita Comprehensive Hemophilia Care was established in 2014 through its close association with Dr. Vijay Kumar, Medical Officer, The Hemophilia Treatment Centre (HTC) attached to the District Hospital at Aluva which is a nodal center for the management of hemophilia in the state.
Since then, Amrita Hospital has been hand holding The Hemophilia Treatment Center, Aluva; National Health Mission, Kerala, and Hemophilia Federation of India for the care of hemophilia patients.
About Amrita Hospital
www.amritahospitals.org
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (Amrita Hospital), based in Kochi, is one of the premier hospitals in South Asia. Founded in 1998 by Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (known worldwide as AMMA), it offers a full range of primary and specialty care medical services. AMMA’s vision of providing advanced medical care to the poor and disadvantaged was the inspiration for Amrita Hospital, which today is a 1100-bed (490 units) tertiary referral and teaching hospital, serving more than 10 lakh outpatients and more than 70,000 inpatients annually.
The massive healthcare infrastructure with over 3.33 million sq.ft. of built-up area, spread over 125 acres of land, supports a daily patient volume of approximately 3500 outpatients with 95 percent inpatient occupancy. There are 12 superspeciality departments, 45 other departments, 4500 support staff and 670 faculty members. The hospital’s extensive infrastructure offers facilities comprising 28 modern operating theatres, 275 equipped intensive-care beds, a fully computerized and networked Hospital Information System (HIS), a fully digital radiology department, 17 NABL accredited clinical laboratories and 24/7 telemedicine service.
In 2015, South Asia’s first ever Bilateral Hand Transplant Surgery was done at Amrita Hospital. The same year, Amrita Hospital won the British Medical Journal Award for the Best Surgical Team in South Asia. The Amrita team won the award for its two successful double hand transplants, the first and the second bilateral hand transplants in this region.
