Saalumarada Thimmakka undergoes angioplasty; remains critical in ICU

112-year-old environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka has undergone an angioplasty after suffering heart attack in Bengaluru hospital. While her vital parameters holding on, she remains critical and is being monitored in the ICU for 48 hours.

Environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka underwent an angioplasty on October 5, after she suffered a heart attack at a private hospital in Bengaluru.

The 112-year-old environmentalist was admitted to Apollo Speciality Hospital on October 3 for severe exacerbation of bronchial asthma. While in hospital, she developed severe chest pain and suffered a heart attack on Thursday morning.

Govindaiah Yateesh, unit head of the hospital, told The Hindu that although her vital parameters are holding on, she remains critical and will be monitored in the intensive care unit (ICU) over the next 48 hours.

“She experienced discomfort and severe breathlessness on Thursday morning. Following a thorough evaluation, it was determined that she had suffered an acute coronary event. Given her advanced age and existing health conditions, we initially pursued a medical approach. However, due to the persistence of her symptoms, a joint decision was made by the medical team and her family to proceed with an angiogram,” he said.

“The angiogram revealed a thrombotic blockage in the Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery, for which an angioplasty was performed. Because of her age and fragility, she remains critical and is under the close and vigilant monitoring of our pulmonology, cardiology, and ICU teams,” he added.