Stent angioplasty being carried out at BM Birla Heart Research Centre

V.L. Bela, 94, created medical history at a city hospital on Saturday by undergoing stent angioplasty to clear 80 per cent blockage in his main coronary artery.

?He is cheerful. The spirit shown by him at such an advanced age amazes us. He is, in fact, keen to return home,? said Tarun Praharaj, interventional cardiologist at the BM Birla Heart Research Centre, where the surgery was carried out.

Immediately after the operation, the hospital began scanning records to find other instances of successful stent angioplasty at advanced age.

Instances of only two such angioplasty cases, one in London and the other in Sao Paulo, were unearthed. No such cases were recorded in India.

Bela, a retired primary schoolteacher based in Aizawl, first experienced acute chest pain in early April.

?I thought that there was nothing unusual in the pain. But when it increased, we decided to take him to a doctor,? said police inspector Vir Khunga, Bela?s son.

Cardiologists said the pain was a result of age-related complications and an earlier heart attack.

Bela was not convinced, so he called his six sons and four daughters and said that he wanted one of them to take him to Calcutta for treatment.

?I do not want to stay here and die without a fight,? he said.

In Calcutta, Bela sought an appointment with Praharaj, who asked him to go through an angiography.

?The angiography showed 80 per cent blockade in the main coronary artery, which was causing him discomfort. His cardiac chambers were okay, except for a small area of weak muscles,? said the doctor.

Bela wanted to know the treatment available. On being told of angioplasty, he wanted to go for it.

?He was stubborn and desperately wanted us to perform the procedure on him. We held a meeting and decided that nobody is too old not to enjoy life for a few more years,? Praharaj said.

Although stent angioplasty of coronary arteries at above 80 years of age are known to cause acute cardiac and non-cardiac complications, like renal failure and bleeding, ultimately resulting in death, a team under Praharaj went ahead with the stent angioplasty and cleared the blockade. Bela survived.