Aster CMI Hospital, Hebbal

It’s practically impossible to put this in a few words, therefore I’m going to summarize this as concise as possible. My wife had been suffering from severe pain due to an ovarian endometriotic cyst. We’ve consulted numerous Doctors in Bangalore, but couldn’t narrow down to anyone due to various reasons such as – trust, intention (financial or service minded approach) etc. We almost gave up until we decided to check one last time, at Aster CMI Hospital, Hebbal. Turned out the best decision we ever made. We went through Dr.Chetana V’s profile on Aster and Practo, and felt the need to pay a visit. The very moment we stepped into her consultation room, without even uttering a word, we knew Dr.Chetana is THE ONE! So calm, composed, intelligent, assuring – I’m lost for words to describe her sheer brilliance! My wife and I were wondering why in the world did we explore all of Bangalore when the answer to all our worries was just 7kms away from our home! Dr.Chetana described my wife’s condition in detail and exact steps to address it. She is so experienced and skilled that with a look of her reports, she knew exactly what she was dealing with, and the precise actions needed to resolve it. We were stunned by her brilliance! Dr.Chetana has a wonderful team of Junior Doctors and nurses at Aster Hospital who work exactly in sync with Doctor, further enhancing our wonderful experience. The Junior Doctors under Doctor Chetana, sisters, nurses, housekeeping staff etc..literally everyone in Dr.Chetana’s team who fall under Aster’s ‘Birthing Center’ need to be applauded for their service minded approach and sincere concern for their patients. I’m yet to see any hospital or Doctor meet these standards, it’s just mind-blowing! Doctor Chetana and her brilliant team treated my wife’s condition via laparoscopic surgery. The surgery was so perfectly done that my wife woke up and started walking the very next morning! Dr.Chetana is a miracle, a TRUE MIRACLE! We have no words to express our gratitude to everyone at Aster. Therefore, we decided to express our gratitude in the form of a huge appreciation email to the COO and Head of OBG (Aster CMI Hospital), where we will be detailing every task performed to the tee of each person/team within Aster, which made my wife and I gaze in awe! Our heartfelt gratitude again to Dr.Chetana and Team. The service we received is a game-changer and inspiration for not just Karnataka, but for the entire nation to witness of how EXACTLY the health care industry in India should be! KUDOS!!

We met a lot of doctors, to understand what is best way forward for my mother’s heart condition (Valve being narrow, hence causing discomfort in chest during exhaustion). Most doctors rarely take out time to clarify the patient-caretaker doubts during the initial phases of decision making (surgery or not & associated trade-offs).

All this changed when we met Dr.Ganeshkrishnan Iyer in the CTVS department. He is one of the most patient individuals I have met who at his position (35+yrs of experience), takes time and effort to bring required clarity & confidence into patient/caretaker for decision making. It is through our multiple rounds of interactions/conversations with him & his team, did we become confident that we are in the right hands to go through with the surgery.

Once the surgery happened, both the Doctors and their team (extending to Dr.Nishith, Asha ma’am, Vaani ma’am amongst others) never hurried through their updates while my mother was in the ICU. They took time to explain her condition, the hypotheses behind any anomaly observed & possible routes of treatment if the anomaly continued over the course of stay. Basically, their attitude towards helping us get clarity on “the why” of the health at any point in time (pre & post surgery) never changed. If at all, it got better with time. Vaani ma'am was always there to help us meet doctor/co-ord any meeting required. This level of transparency & staying connected coupled with the recovery path of our mother was comforting.

Aster CMI's moto is “We treat you well”. It is only when you interact with a team of Doctors such as Dr.Ganeshkrishnan Iyer, do you really feel it materialise into something beyond words. It is humane, pragmatic and transparent. Additionally, the environment of the hospital (Seating areas in OPD, Cafes- Canteens, IPD wards-Private, Lighting and ventilation) are all comforting spaces to be in hard times like these as they do not intrude into already “emotionally draining” times.

Today, a week post Discharge, the team is still engaged with the progress of the individual post discharge. They take time to clarify all doubts and concerns. Even proactive follow-up at times when there are any concerns/false alarms. There is a sense of comfort with the decision taken and the overall journey so far. Looking forward to complete recovery & a healthier life going ahead for my mother from now.

Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, helpers and other staff of Aster CMI Hospital who helped us in these times.

I had a major neurosurgery last week done by Dr Ravi Gopal Varma and feeling like newly born again. The experience from the day 1 till today is awesome.Brain surgery is a life changing event and we want the best to treat us. Found Aster CMI as the place made for us. Since the day 1 everybody has a passion to help you. I got treated by one of India’s best neurosurgeon Dr. Ravi Gopal Verma and the moment I am in the hospital and meet this awesome team decided to get my brain tumour removed. Doctor and his team were very confident and I never felt that level of confidence anywhere else. Doctor is always there to remove those doubts and kept us positive which was the 80% of the cure. Moment meet him, I felt I am in the right hands to get treated. They started out with the best possible plan for me get treated and come out of it strongest possible. Doctor is very much careful on avoiding the post surgery compilations. He made me walk next day after my surgery and now feeling like I am born again. We loved the way he kept us positive throughout the toughest time of our life. Special shout outs to Dr.Jyoti who is always there in the hospital front office to help us get the diagnosis fast and clear. Thanks to Margaret from insurance team who helped us with the whole process with zero effort from our end. Pawan and other nurses and care supporters. I am thankful for god to take me to this Hospital and thanks myself for the rest of my life.

I wish Dr Ravi Gopal Varma good health and long life so he can treat more life in this world.

Thank you doctor you are awesome.

If you have come so far, then please, at least talk to Dr. Madhusudan once about whatever situation you or your loved one is in. I understand the urge to find the solution quickly with the patient going through the pain & struggle on one side and the time ticking against the injuries on the other. I just hope my personal experience below, gives you some hope and confidence that there might still be a better option for reconstruction + recovery and also emphasizes the fact of making no decisions in a hurry.

This was in Jan 2015 and I had met with a major accident in which my right foot was almost crushed & trimmed with more than 50% of bones and muscles cut off/lost. Most of the doctors we consulted, expressed no hopes for recovery and recommended amputating the damaged foot to avoid further damage. After hearing these, I think my confidence levels were ticking negative but none of us were happy with the recovery options proposed. We were fortunate enough to have a family friend who came to know about my situation a bit late but was quick enough to push us (I hope I'm doing the same to you here, virtually) in reaching out to Dr. Madhusudan. I must have been so lucky that day to get connected to Dr. Madhusudhan and after examining my injured foot, he instantly condemned the amputation recommendations and made me promise that I would NOT sign up for the amputation procedure. He was the first and probably only doctor to express confidence and tell us that he firmly "thinks" I should be able to walk after reconstruction and I still remember that he asked permission to take pictures of my injured foot, so he could get peer reviews and gain more confidence about the procedures by sharing with them. After approximately an hour, he came back to us and this time Dr. Madhusudhan showed me chats from a few renowned foot specialists acknowledging that I would walk again for sure to boost my confidence & hopes. Dr. Madhusudhan proposed 3 different options for reconstruction and explained the pros and cons for both short & long term (I was 22 at that time). In the end, he said, he is still waiting to catch hold of 2 more esteemed, foot specialists to discuss about the case and reconstruction implications. The Dr closed the wound temporarily, gave minimum/necessary medication to compensate for the pain to some extent, and assured me not to worry much about the delay and infections.

To be honest here, in the meantime, my family, friends & colleagues were also giving consultation recommendations with a few other doctors and Dr. Madhusudhan was supportive of us in getting doctor opinions since he was waiting to talk with the specialists but he asked me again to promise not to sign-up for amputation. Just to keep the facts straight and highlight the complexity of my injured foot reconstruction, few doctors that we later consulted even mocked the currently settled procedure, few openly challenged the recovery and the ability to walk again, and few more doctors emphasized the importance and urgent need of amputation - I do understand some of the recommendations and opinions are meant for goodwill based on their past experiences or challenges they observed in recoveries with their patient maybe. Anyway, in the next 1-2 days, Dr. Madhusudhan arrived with a conclusive reconstruction procedure and the Dr explained to me that it involves a muscle graft that must be taken from the left thigh to fill and compensate (of course to the bare minimum level) for the loss of bone + muscle during the accident. Finally, Dr. Madhusudan and team (in BGS Kengeri hospital and special thanks to the Orthopedic team as well) performed ~11-hour long surgery to reconstruct my injured foot. I think I was hospitalized for 12 days and was in bed for almost 3 months with stitches on both legs. Only after 3-4 months from the date of the accident, I was asked to make small steps with assistance.

Results: Of course, there was a very gradual curve, that spanned over years in regaining locomotive abilities but at present, I'm happy to say that I have trekked almost all the highest peaks in the Western Ghats. With regular soft-cushioned sports shoes, I can walk almost normally and run to some extent. I was a district-level champ in 4km running race - hope this data clarifies what I meant by "some extent" and "almost normal" is to highlight the discomfort and loss of slight balance due to the loss of original foot bones & muscles.

I know it's a long story but my intentions were to express my experience as it is, than making abstract statements. I hope you have analyzed my experience above and now have the reasons why I requested you to talk to Dr. Madhusudan once before making any decision that impacts the rest of your life (for me it was a major). The incident where he questioned himself when he was dealing at the boundaries of his expertise, and took time to discuss and collaborate with his colleagues/renowned experts in that field (acknowledging & appreciating their expertise), shows his passion for seeking perfection and attention to detail, even though he was an established surgeon in his area. How I was able to write all this here because he keeps his patients involved and educated about the procedures and implications. He keeps his communications clear, tries to explain concepts in simple language, and loves to answer all your questions (sometimes with humor, asking you back the questions to make you realize the answer). Finally, I just can't close this without mentioning Dr's key personality: humble, honest, down-to-earth person who is always ready to help. Don't hesitate to ask your questions.

Good luck with your recovery.