Medtronic opens centre of excellence

Hyderabad: Medtronic, a medical technology company, has opened a centre of excellence at CARE Hospitals to train cardiologists in various aspects of medical implants such as pacemakers.

Mr Milind Shah, Managing Director of India Medtronic Private Ltd, said the number of skilled implanters was very less in India.

“The idea is to train more doctors in implanting devices that prove to be life-savers in most cases,” he said. “The number of patients who need these devices is bigger than the actual number of patients implanted,” he said.

Dr C. Narasimhan, President of Indian Society of Electro-cardiographers and Head of Electrophysiology Department, said the hospital had designed training modules in two courses.

Cardiac implants such as pacemakers were used to gauge the functioning of the heart and enabling blood network and automatically intervene by way of, for example, giving a shock to revive heart functioning.

He, however, warned that the doctors should select the candidates for implantation. “Only appropriate patients should be implanted,” he said.

“Complications are less than one per cent. But then regular monitoring of patients can pick up the signals for necessary interventions in those who carry such implants,” he said.