KIMSHEALTH saves patient by fixing capsule size pacemaker; first in south Kerala

KIMSHEALTH saves patient by fixing capsule size pacemaker; first in south Kerala
Kochi / June 17, 2022

Thiruvananthapuram, June 17: KIMSHEALTH here saved the life of a 72-year-old patient by fixing a leadless (capsule size) pacemaker in her heart, making it the first such successful medical attempt in southern Kerala.

Doctors at KIMSHEALTH found the state-of-the-art device to be the ideal option, considering the woman’s advancing age and enabling her to be discharged without the necessary long stay after surgery.

“Usually, attaching the usual pacemaker as the size of a match box requires a major cut beneath the ribcage. The device is comparatively big, and carries its cables called leads that are fixed to the right ventricle,” pointed out KIMSHEALTH’S consultant cardiologist Dr Praveen S.V., who carried out the procedure.

In the case of the leadless pacemaker, doctors made use of a vein along the patient’s leg by opening it with a needle and sending it up the body to be deposited in the heart. “The capsule-sized device bears clips which enables the pacemaker to stick to the walls of the heart. The device then operates through a remote-control. After this, we detach the catheter. A small plaster on the leg takes care of the leg,” Dr Praveen said.

The patient, who is from Thiruvanathapuram district, was shifted on a wheelchair to the ICU. She was discharged after 24 hours of observation. “Back home, the patient needs a rest of just two days. After that, she can resume normal routine. That is another advantage of using the leadless pacemaker,” he added.

KIMSHEALTH thus clocked the first feat of fixing of a leadless pacemaker through a keyhole surgery anywhere in southern part of the state.

As a two-decade-old state-of-the-art quaternary-care hospital with centres in Kerala’s Kollam, Kottayam and Perinthalmanna, the multispecialty hospital has centres abroad in Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

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