A team of doctors from CentraCare Hospital in Belagavi treated an elderly man (lying on a bed in the background) suffering from mirror heart disease. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A team of doctors from Belagavi-based CentraCare Hospital removed the block in the heart of a senior citizen who never knew he had a heart on the right side of his body.
The mirror condition of the 70-year-old farmer from Munavalli came as a shock to the patient’s family.
His relatives admitted him to a local hospital in Belagavi after he complained of chest pain, sweating, weakness and shortness of breath.
After immediate care, doctors sent him to CentraCare Hospital.
Consultant cardiologist Shahabaz Patel diagnosed that the patient came with a rare congenital condition called Situs Inversus, where some body organs are positioned in a mirror image compared to the normal position.
But the family didn’t know that. This patient had a heart on the right side, a liver on the left and a stomach on the right, which made it difficult for the doctors to perform the operation.
The team led by Dr. Patel and others, he decided to use his expertise to treat the patient’s complex condition.
They performed a coronary angiogram, which confirmed a complete occlusion (blockage) of the right coronary artery.
The team then successfully performed a primary angioplasty, removed the plaque and successfully placed a stent in the blocked artery.
“We are happy that we were able to cure a rare condition, even though the operation was complicated. It was a professional challenge. But we successfully took it on,” said Dr. Patel, according to a press release.
The patient recovered well, was transferred to the ward and discharged on the second day of hospitalization.
CentraCare Hospital Medical Director Neeta Deshpande congratulated the team of doctors and the patient’s family.
“We are extremely proud of Dr. Patel and our Cath-Lab team for successfully performing this rare procedure. The patient’s family members expressed their deep gratitude for the skill of the doctors and the excellent facilities provided by the hospital,” the release said.
Published – 17 Nov 2025 19:04 IST
