Mumbai: KEM Hospital can now save five more lives every day thanks to a new ‘Radial Lounge’ that swaps traditional hospital beds for recovery recliners, clearing the way for urgent cardiac cases.Traditionally, heart patients have occupied hospital beds for several hours due to post-procedure requirements. However, not all patients require a full bed, specifically those who have undergone a radial artery procedure through the wrist. Unlike the traditional groin approach used for angiography, the wrist method carries no risk of internal abdominal bleeding, meaning the patient’s mobility is not restricted during recovery.KEM Dean Dr Sangeeta Ravat said the intent is to slash waiting times for new admissions while maintaining a high standard of care for existing patients. She noted that the new facility is equipped with five specialised recliner chairs, each integrated with real-time vital monitors. The project, which cost upwards of Rs 75 lakh, was made possible through CSR funding from The Indian Hume Pipe Co. Ltd.Dr Ajay Mahajan, head of cardiology, said that previously, there was no choice but to keep patients in beds to recover. “Each day, beds are occupied for several hours while radial artery patients recover. Now that is no longer the case, it effectively increases our capacity to treat more patients,” he said.While such day-care procedures are common across private and public hospitals, the post-procedure management of them hasn’t always been the most comfortable in the public sector. A cardiologist at another BMC hospital noted that while such lounges have yet to become standard at public facilities, most patients are currently kept under observation in small, separate rooms. “There is often no monitor, and it is not very comfortable for the patient; it is a usual chair. But we make it work,” the cardiologist added.
