• Budget Speech by Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Finance
• Key Budget Documents Budget 2011-12
• Summary of Union Budget 2011-12
• Highlights of Union Budget 2011-12
• Budget Circular issued by the Ministry of Finance
• Union Budget 2011-12: Income Tax Exemption Limit Hiked
• News about Union Budget 2011-12: India's Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee has begun the presentation of his Budget speech for 2011-12

Railway Budget Speech 2011-12

Highlights of Railway Budget 2011-12

Background

The National Policy on Older Persons was announced by the Government of India in the year 1999. It was a step in the right direction in pursuance of the UN General Assembly Resolution 47/5 to observe 1999 as International Year of Older Persons and in keeping with the assurances to older persons contained in the Constitution of India. The Right to Equality for all citizens is guaranteed by the Constitution of India as a fundamental right. The well-being of senior citizens is mandated in the Constitution of India under Article 41. "The state shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provision for securing the right to public assistance in cases of old age". Social security in the event of any citizen/s facing vulnerability is the concurrent responsibility of both the central and state governments.

The 1999 Declaration has been followed by some very significant global developments in the area of welfare and development rights of the older persons; these include The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002, the United Nations Principles for Senior Citizens adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2002, the Proclamation on Ageing, the global targets on ageing for the Year 2001 adopted by the General Assembly in 1992, the Shanghai Plan of Action 2002 and the Macau Outcome document 2007 adopted by UNESCAP, etc. These and other global policy guidelines were intended to encourage Member-States to design and implement their own policies and programmes from time to time. The Government of India is a signatory to all these global articulations concerning older persons.

The Policy and plans were put in place as a recognition of the stellar role played by both the Family as a traditionally cherished social institution with its reverence towards their older members and by the continuing mentoring roles played by the older persons themselves within their respective families; their traditional roles have been both of active engagement with the family when needed and faith in social and spiritual engagement outside the family in view of their old age. The older persons have, by and large, created adequate space for their younger members to take up the task of re-shaping or strengthening the quality of life in the family.

The Central and some State governments formulated the Policy and Programmes concerning older persons in the context of the above stated recognition; governance systems stepped in to either remedy the constraints faced by the family, neighbourhood and community or supplement through programmes and resources to fill the void left by the family for both the welfare rights and the development rights of older persons within the framework so capably articulated in the Constitution of India.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment coordinates programmes to be undertaken by other Ministries in their relevant areas of support to older persons. The Ministries of Rural Development, Health & Family Welfare, Labour, Human Resource Development, Women & Child Development, Science & Technology, Urban Development, etc. manage programmes with resources relevant to their mandate and constituencies. The MP Local Area Development Fund and the MLA Local Area Development Fund are being utilized for creation of physical and social infrastructure for older persons in their respective Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies. State Governments have launched programmes with their resources, apart from utilizing and managing Central programmes. Municipalities and Zila Panchayats have also begun to develop programmes with resources in support of the welfare rights and development rights of older persons.
Old Age and Widow Pensions, relief in income tax, concessions in travel by rail, road and air, medical benefits, additional interest on savings,initiatives for protection of life and property of older persons, etc. could easily be cited as some of the significant measures in this regard. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has been providing financial support for Old Age Homes, Day Care Centres, Respite Care Centres, Mobile Medical Vans, HelpLines, etc.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment also piloted landmark legislation called "The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007" which is being promulgated by the States and Union Territories in stages.

It needs to be noted that the Family, Neighbourhood, Community, the Civil Society, and philanthropy-led initiatives by the Corporate Sector and Individuals in India have traditionally continued to remain the largest resource providers for supporting the welfare and development of the Senior Citizens inIndia. Many religious and social institutions have periodically organized food security initiatives for the vulnerable persons, including older persons; some of these initiatives have also been aimed at ensuring shelter security and support for subsistence living.

Families that perform their dharma by upholding the values of intergenerational solidarity and ensure participation of their older members in all activities constitute, in fact, the silent majority. Some scholars believe that such families remain unsung. Families that are unable or do not uphold thedharma are an exception to the large majority. There have been some fissures within the Family as a social institution in regard to striking a balance between the rights of its older members and the demands and aspirations of its younger members; in some cases, such fissures within the family have led to cases of dispossession and abandonment of the older members, consequently leading to a state of destitution. The older persons have worked out their own strategies in such environments characterized by some degree of neglect, abuse and violence; these strategies have comprised formation of peer groups or associations aimed at ensuring active participation, recreation and citizenship.

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A recently retired colleague from the Delhi Development Authority where I had worked on deputation, made a desperate call to me to help him secure his granddaughter’s admission in a reputed school in South Delhi; a task more difficult than securing an appointment with President Obama! Having made similar calls, before he chose to call me up, disappointment and bitterness rang through his voice. I understood immediately. The relationship forged during the course of service crumbles the moment you step out of the office; a fact that officers who retire have to come to terms with. Reassuring him my help, I quipped, sugar coating the bitter pill, that we all fall in the category of “chale huey kartoos” (spent bullets).

I remember that as my retirement from service approached, I had started preparing myself mentally for the grand paradigm shift. I had seen a lot of people wither at the loss of power, position and the sense of purpose that being in service brings. After nearly four decades, the job unfortunately defines you and becomes the fulcrum of your existence. Post retirement, you have to reinvent yourself without the vigour of youth and with limited options. But no amount of preparation can make the first year of retirement easy.

I felt a huge social and official disconnect from bureaucratic networking. Some colleagues refused to recognise me, some were too busy to take or return my calls and a subordinate who used to lunge for my feet on sight did not even have the courtesy to say goodbye or keep in touch. The knowledge that this happens to everyone does not make it any less brutal. But what the process does is sift the grain from the chaff. You discover the colleagues and friends who genuinely care and respond.

This process and the invaluable time on my hands which seemed like a bit of a burden in the beginning, made me realise that life is beyond the 9 to 5 that I had believed defined me. There is actually too much to do and too little time. This is the time I have earned to pursue my passions without any pressures of everyday life. It is the time for self discovery, of introspection and of embracing the joy that comes doing what you love doing most.

To all my fellow retirees, I urge you to follow a basic code of conduct to avoid disappointments and hurt. Do not make unnecessary recommendations and ask for favours from your colleagues, friends and subordinates and as much as possible do not visit them in their offices unless extremely necessary or by invitation. And grab life in all its challenges and mysteries.

Before the call from my friend, I had never really felt that I had retired as I had immersed myself in literary and other professional pursuits. As I sat back and thought for sometime post this call, I realised that retirement is not the end but another milestone, another change — a brand new beginning in this ever changing, ever altering cycle of life, the auteur of which is only you. Death is and remains the only finality in life, as the Latin proverb goes ‘mors omnibus communis’ – which is common to all!

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110427/edit.htm#5

Knee arthritis entails degeneration of the articular cartilage which becomes thin and rough, ultimately resulting in bone-to-bone contact. Synovium may produce extra fluid which results in joint swelling. Muscles supporting the joint become weak/wasted, leading to instability on walking.

Knee arthritis afflicts females more than males and black people more than white. Runners/jumpers are more prone to developing arthritis due to constant stress exerted on the joints.

Arthritis pain is generally due to the following:

• Inflammation of the synovial membrane.
• Pressure from knee effusion.
• Stretching of the nerve endings.

Locking due to intra-articular loose bodies from the degenerative pieces of cartilage.

Symptoms

• Pain and difficulty in walking.
• Moviegoer’s sign-Individuals when sitting for prolonged periods while watching movie/sitting at a place of worship experience pain on getting up/walking.
• Pain aggravates prior to rain as nerve endings become sensitive to pressure — respond to the drop of pressure which occurs before rains. Therefore, patients with knee arthritis can predict rain.
• Swelling and restricted movement.
• Crackling sound in the joint.
• Stiffness resulting from rest/ inactivity which resolves post-activity.

Deformity vis-à-vis bowleg due to medial joint cartilage loss and narrowing. Due to pain on the inner side of the joint, patients tend to shift the weight on the outer part of the leg and foot which further increases bowleg deformity. Heel of the shoe on the outer part is generally worn out in such individuals.

Fifty to 70 per cent people above 65 years has evidence of osteoarthritis on radiographic examination. Hundred per cent people older than 75 years show evidence of osteoarthritis but about 50 per cent show such symptoms. Therefore, X-ray has limited relevance in knee arthritis.

Avoid the following:

• Sitting for a long period.
• Squatting, climbing (if required, then climb stairs with the good leg first and downstairs with the bad leg first can decrease discomfort)
• Standing for long periods.
• Low bed/chair/toilet seat.
• Walking or jogging on hard/uneven surface leads to knee discomfort.
• Jumping activities (encountered while playing badminton, tennis) should be avoided.

Treatment

Reduction in weight goes a long way in reducing arthritic pain.

Wearing sports shoes reduces load on the knee joint.

Knee braces are useful in cases of the unstable joint.

Elevate low bed/chair/toilet seat at the waist level.

Walking with aid/cane on the opposite side alleviates load on the knees.

Hyaluronic acid exists naturally in joint fluid and acts as a lubricant and shock absorber. Hyaluronic acid injections directly into the joint in a series of three to five shots can be given once a week. These injections improve the cushioning of the joint, decrease pain and enhance the range of motion of the joint.

Aerobic activity — Walking on soft regular surface is good. Brisk walking improves the flow of blood to the heart and also strengthens leg muscles.

In individual cases where knee bending is possible should be exercised. Stationary cycling is an ideal aerobic activity as it takes the load off from the knees. Precaution: While sitting on the saddle of the cycle, one should avoid excessive bending of the knee as that can irritate the knee cartilage leading to pain.

Knee arthritis, if managed early and effectively, can prevent agony/discomfort and disability later on.

The writer is a former doctor/physiotherapist, Indian cricket team. E-mail — chadha_r2003@yahoo.co.in

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110406/health.htm#2"

Cancer is spreading like wild fire, not only in India but all over the world. The incidence is increasing every minute and presently it is one of the biggest killers of human race.

Research in all aspects of cancer has been going on all over the medical world for decades, and billions of dollars have been spent to control cancer but a breakthrough is still eluding. The factors producing cancer and the exact mechanism of cancer initiation is yet not known. Therefore, it is not possible to prevent cancer in most cases.

But in a small percentage of cases cancer risks can be avoided to some extent by following a few practices:

Avoiding tobacco : Research has very clearly shown that tobacco is a predisposing cause of cancer. Tobacco is linked to the cancer of a large number of organs, the prominent ones being lungs, oral cavity, oesophagus ( food pipe ), stomach, pancreas, urinary bladder, prostate and breast. The association is overwhelming and has been well established

Consumption of tobacco in any form—smoking (cigarette, bidi, hookah), tobacco chewing, gutka in the mouth — can give rise to cancer. Cancer is not only harmful for the person who is consuming tobacco but also for the people around him, known as passive smokers.

Tobacco consumption is not only linked to cancer but to a number of other problems also — pneumonia (infection of the respiratory tract), heart disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular problems and others.

Smoking by pregnant women may result in an increased incidence of miscarriage, premature delivery, low birth weight of children, foetal deaths, etc.

It is unfortunate that in spite of overwhelming evidence for the ill-effects of tobacco and persistent efforts by the government to ban smoking, tobacco consumption continues, and incidence of smoking in India is on an upward swing particularly among urban females.

Avoiding radiation: Exposure to radiation is linked to the development of cancer and the glaring example being the atomic explosion in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II resulting in increasing number of new patients of cancer from this geographical area. Recent nuclear leak in Japan will further result in increased cases of cancer there and that also for decades.

Ultraviolet rays from the sun can give rise to skin cancer as is seen commonly among farmers working in the fields of Australia and New Zealand. Proper coverage with clothes can reduce the incidence of skin cancer.

Increasing use of radiological investigations, particularly CT scan, is a potential cause for cancer. It is believed that the incidence of cancer definitely increases with growing use of CT scan.

Effect of dietary constitutents: Healthy food having generous portions of fresh vegetables and fruits along with a reduced intake of fat can minimise the development of cancer, particularly of the large intestine. This, perhaps is the reason for a higher incidence of colon cancer among beef and pork-eating people of the West as compared to Asians.

Consumption of smoked fish by people of far-eastern countries like Japan, the Philippines and South , Korea is supposed to be responsible for the high incidence of cancer of the stomach and oesophagus.

Researchers have linked obesity with the cancer of many organs. Regular exercise, therefore, has a positive beneficial effect in reducing the risk of cancer.

Maintain proper hygiene : Poor sanitary conditions increase the risk of cancer of the genitalia in both sexes. Cancer of the cervix is the commonest cancer seen among Indian females, and it is more prevalent in women of poor socio-economic classes. Chronic infection of the genitalia, both in males and females, is a predisposing factor for cancer and should be treated early.

It has also been established that poor hygienic conditions in one partner can give rise to cancer in the spouse. The religious practice of circumcision undertaken by Muslim males gives immunity from the development of cancer of the cervix and penis among females and males.

Chemical agents : A number of chemical agents like coal tar, asbestos, mercury and aniline dyes contain cancer-causing components and people handling these agents should take preventive measures by using gloves, mask, gumboots, etc, so that they avoid direct skin contact and also do not inhale toxic fumes of these chemical agents.

Pesticides and insecticides also come under the same category, and people handling these should take adequate precaution to ward off the potential danger.

Alcohol: The relationship between alcohol consumption and development of cancer has not been yet well established, but alcohol is supposed to be one of the contributing factors for cancer of the mouth and the foodpipe. Heavy consumption of alcohol gives rise to cirrhosis of liver, which can give rise to cancer of the liver later on.

Hormones can influence the development of breast cancer. Research data have revealed that any unmarried woman, who has not given birth to a child or has given birth to her first child after the age of 30 years, a woman who has a long menstrual cycle (early onset and late cessation of menstruation cycle), a mother who has not breast-fed her children are more prone to develop breast cancer. All this is because of hormonal imbalance.

Contraceptive pills, hormone replacement therapy, using both progesterone and oestrogen are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Chronic diseases : A number of chronic benign diseases of many organs can develop into cancer. Some of the common diseases which are known to change into cancerous forms are chronic inflammation of the cervix, mouth, gall bladder, stomach and the large intestine. Fibrocystic lesions of the breast, warts, polyps in the gastro-intestinal or urinary tract can also change into cancer. It is, therefore, mandatory that these diseases are treated properly and adequately in early stages so as to ward off cancer.

Cancer is now supposed to be a lifestyle disease. A disciplined lifestyle with good, balanced and nutritious diet and good habits can go a long way in reducing the risk of cancer.

The writer, a former Senior Professor and Head of Surgery, PGI, and ex-President, Association of the Surgeons of India, is the author of a book, "Cancer".

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110406/health.htm#2

Chandigarh, March 7
Former Chief Secretary-cum-first Chief Information Commissioner Rajan Kashyap has alleged that the State of Punjab and its functionaries have adopted a lackadaisical and discriminatory attitude by denying him pension and retirement benefits, payable to the present incumbent.

In a significant development that brings out the complete failure of the state to apparently give its former officer his due, Kashyap has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging bias and inaction while seeking the release of pension and other retirement benefits.

Kashyap, who demitted the office from the Chief Information Commissioner’s position on July 29, 2008, has also asked for interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum. This is perhaps the first time in the recallable past that an officer of the Chief Secretary’s rank has been compelled to move the High Court.

As a petition came up for hearing this morning, Justice Permod Kohli issued a notice of motion to the State of Punjab through its Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary in the Department of Information Technology and Administrative Reforms.

Referring to a notification issued by the respondents, his counsel, Kanwalvir Singh Kang, says: “It is apparent that the petitioner, having demitted the office of the State Chief Information Commissioner on July 29, 2008, is entitled to the similar pension and retirement benefits as are provided to Election Commissioner of India/Chief Election Commissioner…”

“As a natural corollary, the petitioner is entitled to pension and retirement benefits available to the Election Commissioner of India and is resultantly entitled to pension and retirement benefits available to a Judge of the Supreme Court”.

Bringing out the discrimination, Kang adds: “The respondents vide appointment letter dated August 23, 2010, appointed RI Singh as the Chief Information Commissioner on similar terms and conditions as that of the petitioner. The pension and other retirement benefits of RI Singh are in consonance with the benefits available to the Election Commissioner of India and accordingly to the Judge of the Supreme Court… The petitioner is also entitled to the similar benefits as RI Singh.”

Kang says the “benefits have not been released to him despite numerous letters and reminders to the respondents and without there being any reason for the same having been conveyed to the petitioner”.

He adds that the petitioner served as a distinguished member of the IAS from 1965 to 2003 and was appointed as the first Chief Information Commissioner of the newly set up State Information Commission.

The petition goes on to say: “The non-release of the pension and retirement benefits to the petitioner is a complete infringement of the statutory rights of the petitioner. Apart from this, the action of the respondents is in violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, whereby the petitioner has not been equated with his fellow employees, for whom the benefits have been structured without there being any undue delay and hassle.”

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110308/punjab.htm#14]]> Ex-Chief Secy moves HC
Saurabh Malik/TNS

Chandigarh, March 7
Former Chief Secretary-cum-first Chief Information Commissioner Rajan Kashyap has alleged that the State of Punjab and its functionaries have adopted a lackadaisical and discriminatory attitude by denying him pension and retirement benefits, payable to the present incumbent.

In a significant development that brings out the complete failure of the state to apparently give its former officer his due, Kashyap has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging bias and inaction while seeking the release of pension and other retirement benefits.

Kashyap, who demitted the office from the Chief Information Commissioner’s position on July 29, 2008, has also asked for interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum. This is perhaps the first time in the recallable past that an officer of the Chief Secretary’s rank has been compelled to move the High Court.

As a petition came up for hearing this morning, Justice Permod Kohli issued a notice of motion to the State of Punjab through its Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary in the Department of Information Technology and Administrative Reforms.

Referring to a notification issued by the respondents, his counsel, Kanwalvir Singh Kang, says: “It is apparent that the petitioner, having demitted the office of the State Chief Information Commissioner on July 29, 2008, is entitled to the similar pension and retirement benefits as are provided to Election Commissioner of India/Chief Election Commissioner…”

“As a natural corollary, the petitioner is entitled to pension and retirement benefits available to the Election Commissioner of India and is resultantly entitled to pension and retirement benefits available to a Judge of the Supreme Court”.

Bringing out the discrimination, Kang adds: “The respondents vide appointment letter dated August 23, 2010, appointed RI Singh as the Chief Information Commissioner on similar terms and conditions as that of the petitioner. The pension and other retirement benefits of RI Singh are in consonance with the benefits available to the Election Commissioner of India and accordingly to the Judge of the Supreme Court… The petitioner is also entitled to the similar benefits as RI Singh.”

Kang says the “benefits have not been released to him despite numerous letters and reminders to the respondents and without there being any reason for the same having been conveyed to the petitioner”.

He adds that the petitioner served as a distinguished member of the IAS from 1965 to 2003 and was appointed as the first Chief Information Commissioner of the newly set up State Information Commission.

The petition goes on to say: “The non-release of the pension and retirement benefits to the petitioner is a complete infringement of the statutory rights of the petitioner. Apart from this, the action of the respondents is in violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, whereby the petitioner has not been equated with his fellow employees, for whom the benefits have been structured without there being any undue delay and hassle.”

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110308/punjab.htm#14]]> http://rscws.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=201 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:24:12 +0000 http://rscws.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=201 Wrist May Be Route to Safer Heart Treatment
By RON WINSLOW

Patients undergoing one of cardiology's most common procedures are typically required to lie nearly perfectly still on their backs for about four hours to reduce the chance of a serious bleeding complication.

Now, the procedure is getting a makeover in the U.S. with a new approach that proponents say is much more comfortable and safer for patients, and potentially cheaper for the health-care system.

Called cardiac catheterization, it is used to perform angiograms that detect blockages in arteries and deploy stents to prop open treated vessels that provide the critical blood supply to the heart's muscle.

The procedure is carried out on more than one million U.S. patients each year. In the vast majority of cases, doctors begin the technique–which involves threading a thin plastic tube called a catheter into the heart–by making a puncture wound in the groin.

Now cardiologists are increasingly initiating catheterization in the wrist instead. A major driver of the change is emerging concern about the risk of bleeding–a potentially life-threatening problem especially associated with the entry point in the groin.

"Bleeding complications after [a catheterization] aren't as benign as we thought," says John Coppola, a cardiologist at the Cardiac & Vascular Institute at New York University's Langone Medical Center in Manhattan. Although serious adverse events are rare in such procedures, "if you bleed, it increases your mortality risk and your risk of having a recurrent cardiac event."

Using the wrist means doctors are getting access to the heart through the radial artery in the arm rather than the femoral artery, which delivers blood to the lower extremities. While technically more challenging for doctors, the radial technique is associated with fewer bleeding complications and better long-term results for patients in a growing number of studies.

Currently only about 8% of cardiac catheterizations performed in the U.S. use the radial approach, says Sunil Rao, a Duke University cardiologist who favors the technique. That's up from less than 2% about four years ago, according to a 2008 study he published in an American College of Cardiology journal that was based on nearly 600,000 patients entered into the National Cardiovascular Data Registry.

The rate is well behind several European countries such as Norway and France, and Japan, where rates typically exceed 50% and in some cases are above 70%.

Dr. Rao's study also found that about 1.8% of patients who had the conventional technique experienced a bleeding complication compared with 0.8% of those who had the radial procedure. That's a relative reduction in bleeding risk of 58%.

Those results are part of a growing body of data triggering a surge of interest in the radial technique in the U.S.

Not everyone is ready to embrace the approach. "It's a good technique for people to have in their tool kit," says Deepak Bhatt, an interventional cardiologist and chief of cardiology at the Veterans Administration Healthcare System., Boston. But most of the data supporting it are from observational studies subject to bias. If a randomized trial shows using the radial artery reduces risk of such serious events as deaths and heart attacks, then doctors would need to be committed to it, he says. Until then, "the femoral approach is tried and true and it's premature to declare it a relic."

Just such a trial has been has been underway since 2006. Called Rival, it enrolled more than 7,000 patients at centers around the world to compare the two strategies on rates of death, heart attacks and major bleeding within 30 days of the procedure. It is being led by Sanjit Jolly of McMasters University in Canada, and could be reported as soon as April.

For patients, the difference between the techniques "is night and day," says Jack Woodall, a retired maintenance manager for a prison in North Carolina. Mr. Woodall, who has had two heart attacks, says he has undergone about 10 cardiac catheterizations in the past decade, the last two of which were through the wrist.

One big problem with the femoral technique is that the artery is large and deep under the skin, making it difficult to apply pressure necessary to stop the bleeding. Patients need to lie perfectly still for several hours to allow healing.

After his first catheterization in 1998, Mr. Woodall says, "I was waiting for it to heal back up when I moved wrong and it opened. They put pressure on and I had to lay back for another four hours."

More problematic are the rare instances when the femoral artery bleeds unnoticed beneath the skin and blood pools in a space in the lower back. That can lead to blood transfusions and a cascade of other events including surgery to repair the vessel and potentially deadly infections that add major expense to the treatment.

In contrast, the radial artery is smaller and right under the surface of the skin, and it responds quickly to pressure.

"From the radial access, bleeding is almost nonexistent, says Ramon Quesada, medical director of interventional cardiology at the Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute in Miami who has performed about 5,000 catheterizations via the radial artery.

Mr. Woodall says his two recent radial procedures went off "without a hitch." He likes the "peace of mind" having the wound in the wrist, "right there where you can see it and monitor it yourself."

The radial procedure "isn't perfect," cautions David Mathias, an interventional cardiologist who goes through the wrist in about 75% of his cases at Aurora Bay Care Medical Center, a 160-bed hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The radial artery is smaller than its femoral counterpart. Especially in older patients, it can develop twists and loops that make it difficult for doctors to get the catheter to the heart, he says. The procedure may take longer than the femoral technique and thus increase radiation exposure to both patient and physician. But with practice, doctors can become proficient and routinely overcome such challenges, he says.

Dr. Mathias, who estimates he's done more than 3,000 radial cases, says the main reason he turns people down for the approach is poor circulation in the arm. If the radial artery were damaged in such patients, it could limit use of the arm, he says.

The Green Bay doctor has also done economic analyses he says show that the reduced complication rate for radial access leads to lower medical costs that saves money for insurers and increases margins for hospitals. "This is a win-win situation for everyone," he says.

Even a relatively minor bleeding episode can extend a patient's stay in the hospital by a day or two, adding more than $2,000 to the cost of a case, Dr. Mathias says, while a more serious incident can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Paul Osofsky, a retired financial planner from Staten Island, N.Y., is convinced. His first catheterization 18 years ago left him saddled with a sandbag for four hours to keep pressure on his groin while the wound healed and then kept him away from his daily gym workouts for nearly a month.

Now 66, Mr. Osofsky had a second procedure done via the radial artery last week by NYU's Dr. Coppola. He was home from the hospital in two hours and back to the gym in three days.

"It was like going from something caveman archaic to modern medicine," he says.

Write to Ron Winslow at ron.winslow@wsj.com