Doctors use translation tools to bridge language barrier to treat Syrian patients at Jayadeva Institute

Doctors at the State-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research faced a communication challenge last week while treating a 65-year-old woman from Syria who spoke only Arabic.

The patient, brought to the institute by a non-governmental organisation for treatment of cardiac ailments, was unable to communicate in any other language. To understand her medical history and symptoms, doctors recorded her responses and used mobile phone-based translation tools to translate her statements into English.

Institute Director B. Dinesh told The Hindu that the patient came with chest pain and breathlessness and was diagnosed with severe triple-vessel coronary artery disease along with complete heart block. “Language was a major barrier. Our team had to translate almost every word she spoke to understand her condition,” he said.

She was initially evaluated at Charaka Hospital in Shivajinagar before being referred to Jayadeva Institute by Active Bengaluru Foundation.

Senior cardiologists L. Sridhar and Natraj Shetty evaluated the patient and advised surgical intervention. The surgery was performed by a team led by Shilpa Suresh, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, along with Sadiq Sheriff, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, and Satish, Cardiac Anaesthetist. The pacemaker implantation was carried out by electrophysiologist S. Satish, and a sutureless dressing was applied.

The patient underwent the procedure last week and was discharged in stable condition on Wednesday. The treatment was provided free of cost with support from donor agencies and non-governmental organisations. The remaining expenses were borne by the institute, Dr. Dinesh added.