Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis Treatment in India

Karan Joshi, a 58-year-old former construction...

Karan Joshi, a 58-year-old former construction supervisor, had been struggling for over a year. A history of a severe chest infection two years prior was the suspected cause. His life had shrunk; he was constantly short of breath, his ankles were perpetually swollen, and a crushing fatigue made even walking to the mailbox a monumental task. He had to quit his job, and the once-active grandfather could no longer play with his grandchildren. His local doctor, after seeing distended neck veins and hearing faint heart sounds, referred him to a cardiologist. The cardiologist, after an echocardiogram and CT scan, diagnosed Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis. The scarred, rigid pericardium was strangling his heart. The only definitive treatment, he explained, was a pericardiectomy, surgery to strip away the constrictive sac. Terrified but desperate for a normal life, Karan agreed. The open-heart surgery was major, with a difficult recovery in the ICU. But slowly, day by day, the fluid drained from his legs and his breathing eased. Six months post-op, while not at full former strength, he walks daily, plays cards with his grandchildren, and feels the 'tight band' around his chest is gone. His journey was from despair and helplessness to a profound, tearful gratitude for each simple, unlabored breath.