KOLKATA: BCCI president and former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly was discharged from hospital on Sunday morning, three days after he underwent an angioplasty to place two stents in his blocked cardiac arteries. The 48-year-old was declared fit to return to normal activities with certain minor alterations in his lifestyle and food habits.
Last Wednesday, Ganguly had felt uneasy and was rushed to Apollo Gleneagles Hospital via a green corridor created between his Behala home and the hospital. After preliminary investigations, it was decided that he needed an angioplasty in two of his blocked arteries.
Earlier this month, Ganguly was diagnosed with triple vessel disease and underwent a coronary angioplasty to remove a 90% blockage in his right ventricular artery. Even though two other minor blockages had been detected, a medical board at the hospital — which included eminent cardiac surgeon Devi Shetty as an adviser — ruled that they were not serious and that procedures to remove them could be deferred.
“Ganguly is absolutely fit now and ready to resume normal activities. The procedure has been successful and he is healthy enough to get back to his normal routine,” said Aftab Khan, a member of the panel constituted for his treatment. The others in the panel are Saraj Mandal and Saptarshi Basu. Shetty had flown in on Thursday to join the panel as an adviser. Apart from Devi Shetty, cardiologists Ashwin B Mehta and Ajit Desai, too, were flown in from Mumbai for the angioplasty.
“He has no cardiac issues now, though he must remain under medical supervision. Ganguly must undergo regular check-ups since he has had two successive stent implants that require regular screening,” said a hospital source.
On Sunday morning, Ganguly walked out of the hospital in a jacket, waving to the crowd. His fans had been waiting for his release at the hospital gates. Soon after he was driven back to his Behala home, a crowd of fans descended on his car.