Reused pacemakers give new life to poor cardiac patients

Estimated between Rs 70,000 to Rs two lakh, pacemakers -- vital for saving lives of people with cardiac disorders -- are beyond the reach of poor patients.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, whose cardiac department finds place in the Limca Book of records for carrying out maximum cardiac surgeries without any mortality, has been using donated pacemakers after proper sterilisation to reuse them in poor patients.

The hospital had received seven requests from families saying they wanted to donate pacemakers used by their relatives that could be used for poor patients, a challenge accepted by doctors.

"The functional status of the pulse generators was tested by a pacing system analyser. The clinical indications for reuse were chronic complete heart block, symptomatic bifascicular heart block, sick sinus syndrome and chronic complete heart block with congestive heart failure, in decreasing order of frequency," Dr Aman Makhija, Associate Consultant in the Cardiology department, said.

In terms of morbidity and mortality, he said, the efficacy of reused pacemakers was comparable with that of newly implanted ones and infections can be contained with the aid of new generation of antimicrobial medicines.

"Small gestures like these of donating costly life saving devices like pacemakers will go a long way in helping save precious lives of patients from under privileged sections of our society," Associate Consultant, Department of Cardiology Dr Sawhney said.

A new pacemaker has a life of 8-10 years. Once a heart patient dies, the pacemaker is switched off and then it can be reused for another patient depending on the remaining battery life, he said.

"Only if the battery still has a life of 3-4 years that we offer the device to other patients," Dr Makhija said.

Pacemaker manufacturers, meanwhile, have raised concern over such a move saying it was risky and the practice was not followed in developed nations. However, doctors not only from the hospital but those from the field of cardiology contest the claims. (More)