Apollo, Midhani make indigenous prosthesis

In doing so, it also achieved the distinction of becoming the first in Andhra Pradesh to perform a rare and complicated surgery on the patient suffering from osteosarcoma - limbs bone tumour.

An indigenous prosthesis - Apollo-Midhani Prosthesis - was specially developed for the purpose at a cost of Rs 25,000 as against the imported material costing Rs 1.3 lakh.

The Apollo doctors, Somasekhar Reddy and TPS Bhandari, performed the surgery free of cost. The patient was extended treatment including surgery, prosthesis and several sittings of chemotherapy at the Apollo Hospital free of cost by Cure Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation.

Vijay Anand P Reddy, the director of Apollo Cancer Hospital, disclosed this at a press conference here today. Vijay Anand said the standard treatment for osteosarcoma was the amputation of limb to limit the spread of cancer.

However, the doctors at Apollo Cancer Hospital focused on organ and functional preservation through limb-salvage surgery, which involved implantation of prosthesis - a metal bone and joint - in the area where the cancer-affected bone was removed.

A two-member group of Midhani biomedical unit - deputy general manager Raghavaiah and deputy manager Sashi Kumar Dwiwedi - developed the indigenous prosthesis in association with Apollo doctors.

Raghavaiah said central government undertaking, which produces special steel alloys, was willing to extend similar services to the healthcare providers in the country.