Sourav Ganguly undergoes angioplasty after "mild" heart attack

    (Eds: Updates story)
    Kolkata, Jan 2 (PTI) BCCI president and former India
skipper Sourav Ganguly Saturday suffered a "mild" heart attack
and had to undergo a quick "primary angioplasty" to clear a
blocked coronary artery, a doctor said.
    The cricket icon is conscious and his condition is
being monitored.
    He was diagnosed with three blocked coronary arteries
after which a stent was inserted in one to remove the
blockage, Dr Saroj Mandal, whose team performed the procedure
at private Woodlands Hospital, said.
    A decision on whether to implant more stents will be
taken later depending on his condition.
    "He will be under strict observation for the next
couple of days. We will be taking a decision on our next
course of action depending on his improvement. His other
parameters are fine and needs to be in the hospital for next
three to four days," Mondal said.
    Ganguly was rushed to the hospital Saturday afternoon
following complaint of chest pain.
    "He had an acute myocardial infarction (MI). We have
found three blocks in his heart. We have conducted a primary
angioplasty on him and one stent has been inserted. He is
awake and absolutely stable," Mondal said.
    "He suffered a myocardial infarction while doing the
treadmill this morning. He had a similar experience Friday
also. He was rushed to the hospital immediately and that
helped us a lot in treating him," the doctor said.
    An MI, commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when
blood flow decreases or stops to a part of the heart, causing
damage to the heart muscle.
    According to an earlier account attributed to a doctor
at the same hospital, he had suffered a cardiac arrest. A
sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and stops
beating unexpectedly.
    A heart attack is a circulation problem and sudden
cardiac arrest is caused due to an "electrical" issue.
    Primary angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary
intervention (PCI), is a procedure which treats blockages
within the coronary arteries and improves blood flow to the
heart.
    He has a family history of Ischemic Heart Disease, a
condition of recurring chest pain or discomfort that occurs
when a part of the heart does not receive enough blood. This
condition occurs most often during exertion or excitement,
when the heart requires greater blood flow.
    A team of five doctors has been constituted to
supervise his treatment, hospital sources said.
    "When he was brought to the hospital this afternoon
his clinical parameters were within normal limits. ECG and
Echo were also done. He is responding to well to treatment," a
statement released by the hospital said.
    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed
concern over Ganguly's hospitalisation.
    "Sad to hear that Sourav Ganguly suffered a mild
cardiac arrest and has been admitted to hospital. Wishing him
a speedy and full recovery. My thoughts and prayers are with
him and his family," Banerjee tweeted.
    The development came at a time when speculations were
rife about his joining politics ahead of the state assembly
elections likely in April-May this year.
    According to political circles in the state, the
former batting great could join the BJP, but Ganguly himself
never made his intentions quite clear about taking the
political plunge.
    Ganguly was officially entrusted with the task of
heading Indian cricket in October 2019 at the BCCI's General
Body meeting in Mumbai, ending a controversial 33-month reign
of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators
(CoA).
    He became the BCCI's 39th president succeeding C K
Khanna, who was the interim head of the Board since 2017.
    Ganguly's tenure was for nine months but he and Board
secretary Jay Shah have continued nonetheless as the Supreme
Court has still not ruled on the BCCI's plea seeking
amendments to its new constitution, which put a cap on the age
and tenure of office-bearers as recommended by the Lodha
Committee.
    Ganguly had earlier held positions in the Cricket
Association of Bengal. The former India captain began as joint
secretary at the CAB in 2014. PTI SCH KS PM
SK SK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)