Mumbai: An artificial intelligence-assisted program to detect and combat Heart attack 12 districts have started within Golden Hour Maharashtra. Since 2020, as part of a national plan to reduce cardiac deaths, it has helped diagnose nearly 2,200 heart attacks a year.
This ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) project aims to eliminate heart attacks in individuals who present to public health centers with acute chest pain.
Implementation is through a ‘hub and spoke model’, where ‘spoke’ centers such as sub-district and rural hospitals will detect and treat at its level, or link the patient to a ‘hub’ center such as a tertiary private hospital or medical center for further management. College. Currently, 145 spoke, and 38 hub centers have been prepared for the program.
At the heart of the project is a simple electrocardiogram (ECG) test, the findings of which are instantly uploaded and relayed to the CardioNet app, created by Bangalore-based firm Tricog. In case of myocardial infarction through ECG, the application sends an alert to the health facility and the medical team of Cardionet doctors. So far, more than 2,45,438 ECGs have been performed, which has helped signal 2,175 heart attacks and more than 6,000 abnormal ECGs, according to data from the public health department.
N Ramaswamy, Commissioner, National Health Mission, said that as shown in the Global Burden of Disease data, ischemic heart disease contributes to about 12% of deaths compared to about 5.2% in the 90s. He said STEMI saved many young lives, and the state wants to scale it up by training more healthcare workers and facilities.
STEMI is a serious cardiac event with an increased risk of complications and death. When there is elevation in the ST segment as shown on the ECG, it often means total blockage of one of the heart’s main supply arteries. Thane, Pune, Wardha, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Kolhapur are some of the districts where the project is being implemented at selected centres, said Joint Director of Non-Communicable Disease Cell Dr. Padmaja Jogewar said. Nurses and doctors at spoke centers are trained to dissolve clots by injecting drugs, she said.
District Program Manager Dr. The life of the 35-year-old, who came to Wardha Civil Hospital with severe chest pain, was saved due to STEMI in January, said Madhuri Nimsatkar. Due to the pain, the young man was forced to go to the hospital. After an ECG picked up an elevated ST, he was moved to a hub center, and survived, she said.
