Alcohol can save life too!

Jaipur -- Alcohol is not always harmful for the heart. Sometimes it can add life to dying souls as well.

Doctors in Rajasthan used a few drops of alcohol to save the life of a 35-year-old man who was suffering from a heart disorder that makes the chamber of heart thicker and eventually obstructs the flow of blood.

Mitha Lal, a farmer from Dausa district, was successfully treated at the SMS hospital here. He was admitted to the hospital following complaints of chest pain and breathing problems.

"The most common treatment of this problem is surgery, which often leads to complexities," Dr Rajiv Bagratta told IANS.

However, under such circumstance, using alcohol is a suitable option as it is less expensive and also safe, he added.

After finding that the muscles of left ventricle - one of four chambers in the human heart - had enlarged, the doctors injected 4 ml of alcohol in the artery, which supplied blood to thickened muscles.

It took doctors just 45 minutes to perform the surgery. Bagratta said that the normal cost of surgery for this disease is around Rs.100,000, while the treatment using alcohol - spetal artery ablation - cost only Rs.15,000-20,000.