Guwahati Gets a Life-Saving Heart Breakthrough: Apollo Hospitals Performs Northeast India's First LAA Closure

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Recognised as one of the Best Cardiology Hospitals in Guwahati, Apollo's expert team brings new hope to patients who cannot safely take blood-thinning medicines GUWAHATI, India, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A silent but life-saving battle was won recently in Guwahati. Doctors at Apollo Hospitals Guwahati - widely regarded as the Best Hospital in Guwahati for advanced heart care have successfully performed the first-ever Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Closure procedure in Northeast India. This comes as major relief for thousands of patients living with irregular heartbeat, or atrial fibrillation (AF), who cannot safely stay on long-term blood-thinning medicines. Until now, patients from the Northeast had to travel to metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, or Chennai for this specialised, minimally invasive heart procedure. With this achievement, world-class cardiac care is now available right here at home. What Is Atrial Fibrillation, and Why Does It Matter? Atrial fibrillation causes the heart to beat irregularly, often allowing blood clots to form inside a small pouch of the heart. If a clot breaks loose, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Doctors usually prescribe blood thinners to prevent this but for some patients, especially those with a history of brain bleeding, these medicines are simply too risky. This is exactly where LAA Closure helps. It is a one-time, minimally invasive procedure that permanently seals off this pouch, cutting off the clot's path to the brain - without open-heart surgery and without the need for lifelong blood thinners. A Second Chance for a 66-Year-Old Patient The historic procedure was led by Dr. Rituparna Baruah, Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiology at Apollo Hospitals Guwahati along with colleagues Dr. Dibya Jyoti Dutta, Dr. Chandra Kumar Das, and Dr. Chandra Prakash Thakur on a 66-year-old man who had earlier suffered a brain haemorrhage, likely caused by the blood-thinning medicines he was taking for his irregular heartbeat. With long-term blood thinners ruled out as unsafe, his doctors recommended LAA Closure as the best way forward. Done through a small catheter and without major surgery, the procedure was a complete success, and the patient is now recovering well under the care of the cardiac team. "Successfully performing the first Left Atrial Appendage Closure in Northeast India is a significant mile...

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