At BGS Gleneagles Hospital, Bengaluru we routine practice rapid rehab after joint replacement surgeries. Watch this video by Dr Basavraj C M, Head – Department of Orthopaedics, BGS Gleneagles Hospital, Bengaluru to know about the rapid rehab protocol.

In the last 10-15 years, it was a mystery why cancer wasn’t able to be detected by the body. If a foreign body enters our system, it should be captured by the immune system; however, this does not happen because cancer evades it.

Joint replacement surgery replaces the damaged parts of a joint with new, man-made parts to reduce pain and help in movement. The most frequently replaced parts are hips and knees.

Interventional radiologists play a big role in liver cancer because unfortunately liver cancer is common and a lot of patients present very late. To know more about how interventional radiologists help in the treatment of liver cancer, watch this video by Dr M C Uthappa, Director Interventional Radiologist, BGS Gleneagles Hospital, Bengaluru.

Introduction: 

Liver failure is a serious condition wherein the liver loses its ability to function adequately, resulting in a range of complications that can be life-threatening. It can occur suddenly (acute liver failure) or develop gradually over time (chronic liver failure). Understanding the signs, causes, and treatment options for liver failure is crucial for timely intervention and management. As Dr Adarsh, expert in Medical Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Advanced Endoscopy, asserts, "Early recognition and appropriate management are key in mitigating the impact of liver failure and improving patient outcomes."

 

Signs and Symptoms: 

The signs and symptoms of liver failure can vary depending on the underlying cause and the extent of liver damage. Common manifestations may include:

• Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and eyes due to elevated bilirubin levels.
• Abdominal pain or swelling: Discomfort or bloating in the abdominal area.
• Fatigue and weakness: Persistent tiredness and reduced energy levels.
• Nausea and vomiting: Feeling of queasiness and frequent vomiting.
• Easy bruising or bleeding: Increased susceptibility to bruising and bleeding.
• Changes in mental function: Confusion, disorientation, or coma in severe cases.

 

Causes: 

Liver failure can be caused by various factors, including:

• Chronic hepatitis B or C infection
• Alcoholic liver disease
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Cirrhosis
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Drug-induced liver injury
• Wilson's disease
• Hemochromatosis
• Biliary obstruction

 

Procedure: 

Diagnosing liver failure typically involves a combination of medical history assessment, physical examination, blood tests, imaging studies (such as ultrasound or MRI), and liver biopsy. These tests help evaluate liver function, identify the underlying cause of liver damage, and determine the extent of liver impairment.

 

Treatment: 

The treatment approach for liver failure depends on its underlying cause and severity. It may include:

• Medications: Prescription medications may be used to manage specific conditions contributing to liver failure, such as antiviral drugs for hepatitis B or immunosuppressants for autoimmune hepatitis.
• Lifestyle modifications: Adopting a healthy lifestyle, including abstaining from alcohol, maintaining a balanced diet, and exercising regularly, can help prevent further liver damage.
• Liver transplantation: In severe cases of liver failure where other treatments are ineffective, liver transplantation may be necessary to replace the damaged liver with a healthy donor liver.

 

Conclusion: 

Liver failure is a complex and potentially life-threatening condition that requires prompt recognition and intervention. By understanding the signs, causes, and treatment options for liver failure, individuals can take proactive steps to protect their liver health and minimize the risk of complications. Collaboration between patients, healthcare providers, and multidisciplinary teams is essential in delivering comprehensive care and improving outcomes for individuals affected by liver failure. With early diagnosis, appropriate management, and lifestyle modifications, it is possible to mitigate the impact of liver failure and enhance overall quality of life.

"Radiation Therapy is a single machine under one roof to cater to our entire Radiation Oncology department in our hospital. In short, if one needs any sort of technique of radiotherapy in the entire world to treat any patient for any condition, we at BGS Gleneagles Hospital are equipped with it.

With one single machine called the TrueBeam STx for external radiation and a 24 channel BAT therapy machine for internal radiation. A machine with such accuracy and precision of delivering that patient is not very simple. It starts with a journey that starts with an MRI. One can see the nerve only with an MRI, but the computer only understands a CT for calculation. To fuse is not an easy task. If one is drawing on an MRI and then the fusion doesn't happen, it is going to deliver somewhere else. If it is a 1 millimetre MRI and it is exactly fusing with the CT, then it means that we have gone through the exact precise planning with a very experienced Radiation Physicist.

Whatever is seen on the computer screen has to be delivered to the patient exactly. In 45 minutes, the machine goes around the patient and does another CT Scan to exactly localize whether the patient is not even a millimeter away from where we are giving the radiation. Though the treatment takes another half an hour to give that high dose, the patient cannot afford to move nor can we allow them to move. We follow an advanced way of masking without having to poke into the patient. We have a very good mask that protects the patient and the machine keeps working on the imaging with great precision and with sub millimeter accuracy.

We have successfully delivered a number of patients with this technique. We in order to make the process faster have now started using something called RapidArc technique, a brain-led software and precision CBCT on the couch. This is just like any other treatment. We focus on the patient from different places and everything goes down into 1 point inside the ball. Imagine our head like a ball and we give the treatment from different directions. With this the entire brain receives one thousandths or one ten thousandths of the dose, but 100% into the tumour. This way the brain doesn't get affected at all and at the same time, the tumour is completely killed. RapidArc has changed a lot of this scenario, though it was used mostly for head and neck and brain cancers. We have been using this for stereotactic radio surgery concepts also. "