Dr.S. Vijayakumar

Expertise

Dr. K. Vijayakumar is a distinguished and highly accomplished Interventional Cardiologist with over 20 years of extensive experience in performing complex cardiac catheterization procedures and minimally invasive heart interventions. He holds comprehensive advanced qualifications including MBBS, MD, DM in Cardiology, FNB (Fellowship of National Board), and FIC (Fellow of Indian College of Cardiology), representing the highest level of training and expertise in interventional cardiology.

Dr. Vijayakumar has successfully performed over 5,000 interventional cardiac procedures, establishing himself as one of the leading interventional cardiologists with exceptional expertise in treating coronary artery disease, structural heart conditions, and performing life-saving emergency cardiac interventions. His commitment to staying at the forefront of interventional cardiology technology and techniques ensures patients receive world-class cardiac care. His areas of clinical excellence include:

<strong>Primary Angioplasty for Heart Attack:</strong> Extensive expertise in emergency primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI/heart attack) with consistently achieving rapid door-to-balloon times under 90 minutes. Expert in immediate coronary intervention during acute heart attacks to restore blood flow, minimize heart muscle damage, and save lives with excellent outcomes even in cardiogenic shock patients.

<strong>Complex Coronary Interventions:</strong> Advanced proficiency in treating complex coronary artery lesions including left main disease, chronic total occlusions (CTO), bifurcation lesions, heavily calcified arteries, tortuous vessels, and multi-vessel disease. Skilled in utilizing advanced techniques including bifurcation stenting strategies, rotational atherectomy for calcified lesions, and complex PCI requiring specialized expertise.

<strong>Coronary Angioplasty & Stenting:</strong> Comprehensive expertise in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using latest drug-eluting stents (DES) for treating blocked coronary arteries. Expert in elective and emergency angioplasty procedures with high success rates, minimal complications, and optimal long-term outcomes. Proficient in both radial and femoral approaches with preference for safer radial access.

<strong>Intravascular Imaging & Physiology:</strong> Advanced training in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for detailed visualization of coronary arteries during intervention ensuring optimal stent deployment. Expert in fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment to determine physiological significance of coronary stenosis, avoiding unnecessary stenting and guiding appropriate revascularization decisions.

<strong>Structural Heart Interventions:</strong> Specialized expertise in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe aortic stenosis in high-risk surgical patients, offering minimally invasive valve replacement without open-heart surgery. Skilled in device closure procedures for congenital heart defects including atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in adults and children.

<strong>Valvular Heart Disease Interventions:</strong> Expert in balloon mitral valvuloplasty (BMV) for rheumatic mitral stenosis providing non-surgical treatment option. Proficient in balloon aortic valvuloplasty as bridge to TAVI or definitive surgery. Experienced in left atrial appendage closure for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients who cannot take anticoagulants.

<strong>Rotational Atherectomy:</strong> Advanced expertise in rotational atherectomy (Rotablation) using high-speed diamond-tipped burr to modify heavily calcified coronary lesions that cannot be crossed or dilated with conventional balloons, enabling successful stent placement in challenging cases.

<strong>Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) Intervention:</strong> Specialized training in opening completely blocked coronary arteries (CTO) that have been occluded for months or years. Skilled in advanced CTO crossing techniques, retrograde approach, and complex recanalization strategies offering revascularization options for patients previously told "nothing can be done."

<strong>Multi-Vessel Disease Management:</strong> Comprehensive expertise in managing patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease through staged or complete revascularization strategies. Active participation in heart team discussions to determine optimal revascularization strategy - PCI versus CABG - based on SYNTAX score, patient comorbidities, and individual risk-benefit assessment.

<strong>Cardiac Arrhythmia Device Therapy:</strong> Experienced in permanent pacemaker implantation for bradycardia (slow heart rate) and heart blocks. Proficient in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement for prevention of sudden cardiac death in high-risk patients. Skilled in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device implantation for advanced heart failure patients.

<strong>Peripheral Vascular Interventions:</strong> Expertise extends to peripheral arterial interventions including renal artery angioplasty and stenting for renovascular hypertension, and lower extremity arterial interventions for peripheral arterial disease, demonstrating comprehensive endovascular skills beyond coronary interventions.

<strong>High-Risk PCI:</strong> Specialized in performing high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with severely reduced heart function, cardiogenic shock, unprotected left main disease, and multiple comorbidities using hemodynamic support devices and advanced techniques ensuring safety in complex cases.

<strong>Emergency Cardiac Interventions:</strong> Extensive experience in managing acute coronary syndromes including STEMI (ST-elevation MI), NSTEMI (non-ST elevation MI), unstable angina requiring urgent catheterization and intervention. Available 24/7 for cardiac emergencies with rapid response team activation and immediate cath lab availability.

<strong>Preventive & Non-Invasive Cardiology:</strong> While specializing in interventions, Dr. Vijayakumar maintains strong foundation in non-invasive cardiology including comprehensive cardiac evaluation, medical management of coronary artery disease, heart failure management, hypertension and lipid management, and preventive cardiology ensuring holistic cardiac care.

Dr. Vijayakumar believes in patient-centered interventional cardiology with emphasis on thorough pre-procedure evaluation, clear communication about procedure details and outcomes, appropriate patient selection for intervention versus medical therapy or surgery, utilization of latest evidence-based techniques and technology, and comprehensive post-procedure care with cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention.

His systematic approach includes detailed coronary angiography with precise lesion assessment, discussion of all treatment options with patients and families, selection of optimal intervention strategy and devices, meticulous procedural technique ensuring complete revascularization with minimal complications, and long-term follow-up with aggressive risk factor modification to prevent recurrence.

Dr. Vijayakumar stays at the cutting edge of interventional cardiology through continuous participation in national and international cardiology conferences, training in new devices and techniques, involvement in clinical research and trials, and teaching junior cardiologists and cardiology fellows. His extensive experience, procedural excellence, compassionate patient care, and commitment to achieving optimal outcomes makes him one of the most trusted and respected interventional cardiologists.

He has been instrumental in establishing and developing the interventional cardiology program, training numerous cardiologists in advanced techniques, contributing to improvement in cardiac care standards, and ensuring availability of latest interventional cardiology technologies for benefit of cardiac patients.

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