11 Patients Die Within 24 Hours at Mysuru Cardiac Hospital

Bengaluru: Eleven patients died within a 24-hour period at the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Mysuru, triggering protests by relatives who alleged a shortage of doctors and inadequate medical facilities. All those who died were cardiac patients aged between 60 and 85.

Hospital authorities attributed the deaths to patients being brought in 12 to 24 hours after the critical golden hour window for emergency cardiac intervention had passed. Medical Superintendent Dr K S Sadananda stated that no one died without receiving treatment and that staff shortage or negligence was not responsible for the deaths. He said three doctors were on night duty and offered to make CCTV footage available if required.

The hospital is the only specialised cardiac care facility serving patients from Mysuru and the neighbouring districts of Kodagu, Hassan, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar, meaning it receives almost exclusively critical cases. With all beds occupied, 20 patients are currently being treated on trolleys. The ICU, designed for 18 patients, is handling 25 cases due to the exceptional patient load. While a doctor can ordinarily attend to 50 to 60 patients a day, physicians at this hospital are currently managing over 100.

The hospital's average mortality rate over the past decade stands at 6 to 8 per cent, reflecting the severity of cases it routinely receives.