Very often, people do not seem to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack. But what if a heart patient was fitted with a special pacemaker that could inform his doctor as soon he starts feeling unwell? Such a thing is indeed possible, says Gopal Motilal Agarwal, one of the first few Indians to be fitted with a pacemaker that can directly send an email and an SMS to his doctor in case of an emergency. Not just that, Agarwal can travel the world and still consult his doctor in Mumbai for a routine check-up.
“This is a cardiac resynchronization device for heart patients, which can give a shock if there is a heart failure. It can also send me an alert if my patient gets an uneven heartbeat,” said Dr V T Shah, who consults at Breach Candy and Nanavati Hospital.

Three months ago, Agarwal started getting breathless. “A check-up revealed that my heart was beating faster than normal. Doctors suggested that I get a pacemaker,” he said.

Dr Shah then told Agarwal about the ‘care link’, a new pacemaker that was to get the Food and Drugs Association ( FDA) approval soon.

“When the doctor explained to me that a pacemaker was necessary, I wanted the latest technology. On May 1, the pacemaker was fitted it in my heart,” said Agarwal. Compared to a simple pacemaker that’s costs Rs 1.5 lakh, the care link cost the family Rs 14.5 lakh.

The pacemaker, by Medtronic, works on the concept of a cellphone. “With the help of infrared rays, the pacemaker sends the information to the modem that the patient has to carry along. This modem, which has an international roaming SIM card, sends an email and an SMS to a number that is already fed to the system,” said Dr Shah.

Conditions such as ventricular tachycardia-a condition in which scar tissues form in the muscle of the ventricles; ventricular fibrillation-a heart rhythm problem that occurs when the heart beats with rapid, erratic electrical impulses or when the battery of the pacemaker is about to die, are marked as high alert conditions.

“The pacemaker and the modem can be programmed according to the patient’s needs,” said Dr Shah.

Source: TOI