'Father of angioplasty in India' Dr Mathew Kalarikal dies at 77

Chennai: Dr Mathew Samuel Kalarikal, hailed as the father of angioplasty in India, died at Apollo Hospitals here on Friday. He was 77 and is survived by his wife Bina Mathew and their children Anna Mathew and Sam Mathew.

A pioneer in interventional cardiology who repaired thousands of ailing hearts and mentored many young doctors over 50 years was under treatment for a chronic condition, but continued to do procedures, offer consultations, and guided doctors until recently. Founder-convenor of the National Angioplasty Registry of India, a forum for interventional cardiologists, Dr Kalarikal was keen on setting standard protocols for cardiac procedures while embracing new technology and research.

His colleagues and students remember how he scrubbed in for a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure, a minimally invasive procedure, used to replace a narrowed aortic valve in a senior citizen declared unfit for surgery.

"I was with him for 20 years. I learned something new every time we operated together. I might not have needed his hands, but I always needed his mind — calm, focused, and brilliant," said interventional cardiologist Dr Sai Sathish, who was mentored by him.

At conferences or over coffee, doctors said, he cleared doubts on various procedures. "We could walk into his room or call him to the cath lab when we had to discuss a complex case or a new procedure," said senior cardiologist Dr G Sengottuvelu, who worked with him. He is credited by his students with bringing new technologies to cath labs in India.

After obtaining an MBBS degree from Kottayam Govt Medical College in Kerala, he secured post-graduation at Stanley Medical College and super-speciality at Madras Medical College. He then worked in Jakarta and Muscat before starting practice in the US. He came to India in the mid-1980s after training under Dr Andreas Gruentzig, who first conceived the idea of using a balloon-tipped catheter to open blocked arteries from the inside.

In India, he helped set up cardiac catheterization labs in different places while working for Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, Lilavati Hospital and Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai among others.

Dr Kalarikal, who received the Dr B C Roy Award in interventional cardiology in 1996, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2000. "He called me on the intercom that day," said Apollo Hospitals senior cardiologist Dr I Sathyamurthy. "We both got the call from the governor's office. He hugged me before we went to chairman Dr Prathap Reddy's room. We later met in Delhi and took award from President K R Narayanan."

A memorial service will be held at Marthoma Syrian Christian Church in Chennai's Chetpet on Saturday and the funeral at St Peter's Mar Thoma Church in Kottayam on Monday.