Now with Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT) Indian doctors can say goodbye to Stents and Angiography

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Doctors in a hospital here in Mumbai, India have used comparatively new technology called ocular coherence tomography which uses ‘near infrared light’ to visualise the inside of heart. This procedure has the advantage over the standard procedure known as angiography — which uses X-rays and a special dye to take pictures of the heart and arteries, in that the OCT is non-invasive and can clearly distinguish between a blood clot and a plaque rupture in coronary arteries - which supply blood to our heart. This is particularly useful in saving life of a heart attack victim. This is good news for residents of India, since Indians are more genetically predisposed to heart attack as compared to Caucasians. If the blockage in the artery is caused by clot and not plaque rupture, it can be treated by clot-busting medicines, negating the need for the use of stents, thus saving a hefty amount on medical bills.