Designer Rohit Bal at a party in Delhi. (TOI File)
NEW DELHI: Fashion designer Rohit Bal suffered a massive heart attack on Tuesday morning that damaged a significant part of his heart muscles. Bal was rushed to Medanta Medicity on Tuesday evening and admitted under cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan.
Bal will undergo an angiography on Wednesday morning following which doctors will take a call on whether the designer will require an open heart bypass or an angioplasty.
Bal experienced acute chest pain on Tuesday morning after which his family physician administered him clot-busting drugs. He was taken to Medanta only in the evening. Soon after, doctors conducted an echocardiogram to see the condition of Bal's heart valves and chambers.
Speaking to TOI, chairman of clinical cardiology at Medanta Dr R R Kasliwal said, "The echo showed that large parts of his heart muscles had been damaged. It is a large heart attack. Two valves of the heart are not moving." A heart has four valves.
Dr Kasliwal added, "As soon as he arrived, we stabilized him. He has good blood pressure and is responding well with oxygen. We have conducted all required blood tests and ECG. However, after any heart attack, the first 24 hours are crucial."
According to Dr Kasliwal, doctors will conduct an angiography on Wednesday morning to access the extent of blockage in Bal's cardiac arteries. "Only then will we know whether we need to do a bypass or an angioplasty later in the day," he added.
Bal is originally from Kashmir and is one of India's best known fashion designers. A graduate of St Stephen's college, he learnt fashion designing at NIFT, Delhi.
Some of his clients include celebrities like Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Naomi Campbell and Anna Kournikova.
