Skull and Bones
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New Delhi: Are we not in the habit of looking west whenever we seek validation for any big innovation or discovery? That needs to change as our own researchers and scholars at esteemed organisations such as IITs are working up miracles in medicine, technology and biotechnology.
Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, who is better known as Devi Shetty, and is an FRCS and an Indian entrepreneur and cardiac surgeon (also, the chairman and founder of Narayana Health chain of hospitals) have lauded the IITians and their innovation in a piece in The Times of India.
Heart diseases are one of the world’s deadliest killers – yes. In India and globally too, cardiovascular disease (CVD) manifests itself in various forms such as heart attack, strokes and cardiac arrest. These conditions claim the highest number of lives every year.
Most recently, celebrities like actor Siddharth Shukla, singer KK and comedian Raju Srivastas succumbed to a heart attack and cardiac arrest. The incidents not only raised concerns about heart conditions but also brought into the spotlight how heart conditions now take a toll on the younger group of people as much as the older adults.
Although most cases are resolvable with lifestyle changes, sometimes surgeries like angioplasty and heart transplant, there still continue to that end in death. But with constant evolution in healthcare, it may not be long before one might not have to sweat at the thought of being diagnosed with a heart condition. And IIT Kanpur’s artificial heart programme might be a significant step in that direction.
The School of Medical Research and Technology (SMRT) of IIT Kanpur announced the launch of Hridyantra this year, a challenge-based programme to develop an advanced heart known as a Left Ventricular Assist device (LVAD) for patients of end-stage heart failure. The LVAD or artificial heart is a pump for patients with end-stage heart failure which will act as a bridge while patients await heart transplants or those unable to get treatment for the same.
It is an implantable battery-operated, mechanical pump, which helps the left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart) pump blood to the rest of the body. The aim of the initiative is to cut down the cost through indigenous technology while not compromising on quality.
At a time when heart transplant facilities are not accessible for all, be it due to the cost involved or the availability concerns, the artificial heart might be a saviour – especially in a country where a chunk of the population struggles to access healthcare facilities.
Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, who is better known as Devi Shetty, and is an FRCS and an Indian entrepreneur and cardiac surgeon (also, the chairman and founder of Narayana Health chain of hospitals) have lauded the IITians and their innovation in a piece in The Times of India.
Heart diseases are one of the world’s deadliest killers – yes. In India and globally too, cardiovascular disease (CVD) manifests itself in various forms such as heart attack, strokes and cardiac arrest. These conditions claim the highest number of lives every year.
Most recently, celebrities like actor Siddharth Shukla, singer KK and comedian Raju Srivastas succumbed to a heart attack and cardiac arrest. The incidents not only raised concerns about heart conditions but also brought into the spotlight how heart conditions now take a toll on the younger group of people as much as the older adults.
Although most cases are resolvable with lifestyle changes, sometimes surgeries like angioplasty and heart transplant, there still continue to that end in death. But with constant evolution in healthcare, it may not be long before one might not have to sweat at the thought of being diagnosed with a heart condition. And IIT Kanpur’s artificial heart programme might be a significant step in that direction.
The School of Medical Research and Technology (SMRT) of IIT Kanpur announced the launch of Hridyantra this year, a challenge-based programme to develop an advanced heart known as a Left Ventricular Assist device (LVAD) for patients of end-stage heart failure. The LVAD or artificial heart is a pump for patients with end-stage heart failure which will act as a bridge while patients await heart transplants or those unable to get treatment for the same.
It is an implantable battery-operated, mechanical pump, which helps the left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart) pump blood to the rest of the body. The aim of the initiative is to cut down the cost through indigenous technology while not compromising on quality.
At a time when heart transplant facilities are not accessible for all, be it due to the cost involved or the availability concerns, the artificial heart might be a saviour – especially in a country where a chunk of the population struggles to access healthcare facilities.
