An explanation regarding social media posts which stated about a cure for the paralysis 

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Various false information are constantly being circulated on social media, misleadiing users, and since such a false message was circulated on social media these days, we decided to do a fact check regarding that.

Social Media Posts

A post on social media had stated that if patients with paralysis at KEM Hospital in Parel, Mumbai, are brought to this hospital within 24 hours of contracting the disease, they can be cured of the disease through an automated machine, and that tumors in the patient’s brain can be removed with the help of this angioplasty-like machine.

The post further stated that this facility has been implemented for the first time in India, at this hospital, and that such machines are only available in a few specific places in the world.

Furthermore, the post stated that, it is possible to cure children who are born deaf and muted by performing cochlear implant surgery, and that the surgery would cost between 10 and 12 lakhs, but it would be performed free of charge at SRCC Hospital in Mumbai with the support of Rotary Club of Bombay Worli, District 3141.

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Fact Check :

When a patient is diagnosed with an illness, the patient and their family members constantly try to cure the patient. Therefore, efforts are made by the family members of the patient, if information is received in any country that a particular disease can be completely cured, even if it costs millions.

Can paralysis be cured in a few hours?

According to the information circulating on social media, there is only one hospital in India that has the facilities to cure paralysis.

Therefore, we investigated whether there is a machine that can cure paralyzed patients at KEM Hospital in Parel, Mumbai, India, as mentioned in social media posts, and whether it has the ability to cure paralyzed patients.

Accordingly, a news story related to the incident that led to this information was published on The Hindu website on October 11, 2018.

The headline of the news was indicated as “KFM Hospital gets advanced stroke center”.

The news report contained an explanation on this matter from Dr. Nitin Dan, the Chief Neurosurgeon of ‘KEM’ Hospital, mentioned in the social media post.

Accordingly, the doctor states that the majority of stroke patients reach the hospital really late, leaving a little opportunity for treatment. Therefore, he explains that this stroke center can only help patients who arrive within the first 24 hours after a stroke.

We were also able to find a detailed fact-check which had been carried out on this fake social media post on the Mumbai Mirror website on November 3, 2018.

The report also clearly states that Dr. Nitin Dang, the chief neurosurgeon at KEM Hospital, explained that it can only help patients who come within the first 24 hours after a stroke and cannot be used to treat patients who are already paralysed.

The article further states that the new angiography machine has been purchased by KEM Hospital for Rs. 8.5 crore and that the machine can cure a patient by removing a blood clot from an artery or vein within the first 24 hours of a stroke.

After this message was shared, many patients who have been suffering from paralysis for years have developed the misconception that their condition can be cured, and a large number of patients have also come to this hospital for treatment.

Since 2018, misleading news has been circulating in India and other countries from time to time, and we found a fact- checking report on this in India in 2020. Dr. Nitin Dan’s secretary, Ms. Heena Sheikh, has also been contacted and questioned during this investigation.

Accordingly, she has stated in it that this message has been widely shared for the past two years. She has furthermore stated that, however every pateint cannot be cured of paralysis through this, but attempts can be made to cure a patient within 24 hours of the stroke, and that process would take around 6 hours of time.

This misleading post and the message have also been shared in 2024, and here is a fact check done regarding that.

Neurologist Dr. Padma S. Gunaratne

We contacted Neurologist Dr. Padma S. Gunaratne regarding the message being circulated. She clarified the following:

“Stroke requires time-dependent emergency treatment that involves advanced technology such as CT scans and Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) machines, along with the expertise of trained medical specialists. It also requires expensive drugs like thrombolytics and consumables such as catheters. Therefore, if you come across an acute stroke patient (within hours of symptom onset), the patient should be taken immediately to the nearest leading hospital with CT facilities.”

Dr. Gunaratne further emphasized that the message being circulated is not applicable to Sri Lanka, as it is not practical to transport stroke patients to India for emergency treatment.

Why does paralysis occur?

Paralysis is caused because of an issue in the nervous system. Normally, the nervous system transmits messages from the brain to the muscles throughout the body, generating various physical actions and responses. Paralysis can occur due to the damages occured in the brian, nervous system or muscles. Noramally, a stroke occurs as a result of a blood clot/ fat clot in the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain which can result in a paralysis of brain due to the lack of blood flow to the brain and the lack of oxygen and nutrients, and such a situation occured in the spinal cord can lead to a situation of paralysis. You can read more information regarding that here.

Why do paralysis occur? What are the causes? A detailed video regarding that can be viewed below.

Stroke Symptoms

Stroke symptoms may not be as dramatic or painful as a heart attack. But the results can be just as life-threatening. Stroke is an emergency. Get medical help immediately and know when the symptoms started. Common symptoms include:

Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech.

Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Stroke Diagnosis

The neurologist or emergency doctor must examine you to understand your condition and find out what caused the stroke. Diagnostic tests to determine treatment could include:

Neurologic exam

Brain imaging tests (CT, or computerized tomography scan; MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging) to understand the type, location, and extent of the stroke.

Tests that show blood flow and bleeding sites (carotid and transcranial ultrasound and angiography).

Blood tests for bleeding or clotting disorders.

EKG (electrocardiogram) or an ultrasound examination (echocardiogram) of the heart to identify cardiac sources of blood clots that could travel to the brain.

Tests that measure mental function.

Stroke Treatment

Immediate medical care is important. New treatments work only if given within a few hours after a stroke begins. For example, a clot-busting drug must be given within three hours.

Once the doctor completes the diagnostic tests, the treatment is chosen. For all stroke patients, the aim is to prevent further brain damage. If the stroke is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain, treatment could include:

T P A (tissue plasminogen activator), a clot-busting drug that is injected within three hours of the start of a non-bleeding stroke.

Drugs that thin the blood, including anticoagulants (warfarin) and antiplatelet medications (aspirin or ticlopidine); a combination of aspirin and sustained release dipyridamole.

Surgery that opens the insides of narrowed neck blood vessels (carotid endarterectomy).

If bleeding causes the stroke, treatment could include:

Drugs that maintain normal blood clotting.

Surgery to remove blood in the brain or decrease pressure on the brain.

Surgery to fix the broken blood vessels.

Blocking off bleeding vessels by inserting a coil.

Drugs that prevent or reverse brain swelling.

Inserting a tube into a hollow part of the brain to lower pressure.

After a stroke, a person may have some disability. The disability depends on the size and location of the stroke. The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body; in right-handed individuals it is important for attention and visual-spatial skills. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body; in right-handed individuals (and 50 percent of left-handed people) it controls language speaking and understanding. Language disorders are also called “aphasias.”

Paralysis – Healing

Paralysis cannot be cured in all cases. However, depending on the cause and types of the disease, some people may experience partial or complete recovery. In cases of temporary paralysis, symptoms may resolve on their own without medical treatment. However, this may not be the case for sever cases.

Medical science and field is still exploring advanced treatment options for paralysis. Although a significant progress has been made in research in the area of spinal cord transplants, electrical stimulation, stem cell therapy, and BCIs, etc, a complete and a universal cure is still not found. However, ongoing studies and clinical trials offer a hope for future treatments that can restore function and improce the quality of life for people affected by paralysis. (Sources –here, here, here)

Can children who are deaf and mute from birth be cured through cochlear implant surgery?

Although a complete cure is impossible, hearing can be achieved to a certain extent through a cochlear implant. Even a person who is deaf by birth, can still hear sounds through a cochlear implant. Although it may cause many inconveniences at first, over the time it would bring a smooth experience. You can read more regarding it here.

Does the Bombay Rotary Club support cochlear implant surgeries for children who are deaf and mute from birth?

The Bombay Rotary Club is a community service club and we first checked the official website and the Facebook account of the Bombay Rotary club, in order to check whether awarness has been raised through the Bombay Rotary Club about supporting cochlear implant surgeries for children who are deaf and mute from birth. But there wasn’t any official information or announcement published regarding that.

Therefore, we explored the information regarding surgeries supported by the Bombay Rotary Club.

Through the information we got, it was clear that the society has provided support moslty for pediatric heart surgeries. You can view more information here, here and here.

As it was mentioned that cochlear implant surgeries are being performed free of charge at SRCC Chidlren’s Hospital with the support of the Bombay Rotary Club, we investigated facts regarding that as well. Accordingly, we found that the Rotary Club of Bombay has sponsored 237 heart surgeries across its three partner hospitals, including Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, SRCC Children’s Hospital, and Hariya Rotary Hospital in Vapi, as mentioned in the official website of the Rotary Club.

However, there was no official information published even in the website of the SRCC Children’s Hospital regarding their sponsorship of free cochlear implant surgeries at the SRCC Children’s Hospital.

Accordingly, it is clear that the circulated information regarding the Bombay Rotary Club sponsoring the free cochlear implant surgeries for the children who are deaf and mute from birth is false.

Join us to learn more about our investigative fact findings.

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