The Centre extends e-access of cardiologist’s expertise for patients in remote areas!
Hyderabad, September 29th, 2018: Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad, announced the launch of Apollo Heart Command Centre – to provide e-access to a cardiologist’s expertise in remote areas. Dr. Sangita Reddy, Jt. Managing Director, Apollo Group of Hospitals, inaugurated the facility, today at Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad; Dr. Shiv Kumar, Chief Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad and other consultant doctors.
Apollo Heart Command Centre was conceptualized in response to the felt needs of cardiac patients scattered across various settings from far flung villages to single Doctor clinics to small nursing homes. Fundamental to the concept is the realization of the abysmal gulf between the highly trained Cardiologists and patients in need of cardiac services and hence to further the reach of these highly experienced Cardiologists, the concept of Apollo Heart Command Centre was born.
India is fast emerging as the capital of non-communicable diseases with cardiovascular diseases leading the assault. This coupled with lack of awareness in the general public regarding the myriad presentation of cardiac emergencies is a disaster waiting to happen. We at Apollo Hospitals, have decades of hands on experience dealing with these cardiac diseases. Out of our extensive experience and the pressing need to address our country’s cardiac disease burden was born the concept of real time evaluation and management of cardiac diseases, says Ms Sangita Reddy.
The concept is based on the Hub and Spoke model. The Central Cardiac Command Station situated at Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad, is connected to partnering clinics, nursing homes, hospitals and far flung or inaccessible areas of the country. These small centers are provided with the equipment to record 12 lead ECG and to transmit the same in real time to the Cardiac Command Centre. The Centre is manned round the clock by fully qualified Cardiologist, who will interpret the ECG in real time and provide appropriate advice to the treating Doctors at the periphery. The Cardiac Command Centre is also gearing up to handle real time 2D Echo and Ultrasound of the Heart soon. In addition, there is a 24 hour on wheel ICU ambulance back up services, to move critical patients for advanced care, to a better facility like Apollo Hospitals, Secunderabad, with care on the move, if needed.
The basic premise of this concept is to make an accurate diagnosis of a cardiac disease early, to guide the treating Doctor in handling the patient and expedite advanced cardiac care cost effectively, says Dr Shiv Kumar.
The Heart Command Centre is also connected with other ICU’s of small hospitals or nursing homes with or without cath labs and will guide them in treating the patient. The Centre is already connected to various cath labs abroad like in Nepal and Bangladesh and aiding the treating Cardiologist there, to handle complications or difficultier in the Cath Lab. The Cardiologist there can get connected to us instantaneously and we help them manage the case in a step by step approach and assist them in treating the patients in the most scientific, accepted, with evidence based medicine, says, Dr Shiv Kumar.