MGM Healthcare Malar Saves 76 year Old Woman with Simultaneous Stroke and Heart Attack Through Rare Triple Intervention

Chennai, June 3, 2026: In a remarkable medical achievement, MGM Healthcare Malar Hospital, Adyar, successfully treated a 76-year-old woman who suffered the rare and life-threatening combination of an acute stroke and heart attack at the same time by performing a series of advanced minimally invasive neurovascular and cardiac procedures in a single sitting.

(2nd from Left) Dr.Kalpana Thai, Medical Superintendent; 76 year old Patient; Dr. Karthikeyan, Senior Consultant and Interventional Neurologist; Dr. Manohar, Senior Consultant and Interventional Cardiologist

The patient, who had a history of hypertension and diabetes, was diagnosed with critical blockages in an intracranial artery within the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory and in the carotid artery, resulting in a stroke. Further evaluation also revealed severe coronary artery disease that significantly restricted blood flow to the heart.

Press conference Youtube Video link 👇 

A multidisciplinary team of specialists undertook a carefully coordinated treatment strategy. The doctors first carried out an advanced intracranial stenting procedure to open the critically narrowed artery in the brain. This was followed by carotid angioplasty to address the severe blockage in the neck and then coronary angioplasty to restore blood flow to the heart.

What made the case particularly significant was that all three minimally invasive interventions were completed during a single session under local anaesthesia. The patient recovered rapidly and was discharged within four days, with no surgical incisions and minimal recovery time.

The team was led by Dr. Karthikeyan, Senior Consultant and Interventional Neurologist, and Dr. Manohar, Senior Consultant and Interventional Cardiologist.

Speaking about the case, Dr. Karthikeyan said the simultaneous presence of critical blockages in both the brain and heart posed an exceptional challenge. He noted that restoring blood flow to the brain was the immediate priority and required a highly specialised intracranial stenting procedure in the MCA territory, followed by carotid artery stenting. He explained that intracranial stenting is available only at a limited number of centres because it involves navigating delicate blood vessels deep within the brain through a minimally invasive pinhole approach.

He added that the uniqueness of the case lay in seamlessly combining the neurovascular intervention with coronary angioplasty in a single sitting, allowing doctors to address both life-threatening conditions simultaneously. Since all procedures were performed under local anaesthesia without surgical incisions, the patient experienced faster recovery and no visible scarring.

Mr. Venugopal Bhat, Chief Operating Officer and Group Vice President – Strategic Initiatives, said the successful outcome underscored the importance of rapid diagnosis, multidisciplinary collaboration and timely intervention in managing complex medical emergencies. He said the achievement reflected the expertise of the hospital’s clinical teams and its advanced neurovascular and cardiac care infrastructure.

MGM Healthcare Malar Hospital operates a comprehensive stroke unit that provides round-the-clock care through a multidisciplinary team comprising interventional neurologists, neurosurgeons, anaesthetists, stroke specialists, physiotherapists and critical care experts. The facility is designed to ensure timely, evidence-based and effective treatment for patients facing stroke and other neurological emergencies.

****