Dr R K Jaswal introduces Smartest Pacemaker first time in region

Chandigarh,  July 30, 2013: For the first time in Chandigarh and Punjab region, renowned Cardiologist Dr R K Jaswal introduced the smartest pacemaker ever, “Altrua 60 Pacemaker” here today.  He believes that this will improve the quality of patient’s life and ability to maintain the normal life even after having the pacemaker implanted.

Dr R K Jaswal (MD, DM, MBBS) Director, Intervention Cardiology, Fortis Hospital Mohali, said, “To implant this pacemaker, we have to be very sure of the fixing of position of sensor electrode built on the pacemaker which only few physicians in the country can do.  Every year 18,000 patients get pacemakers in India.”

Having over 17 years experience behind him, Dr Jaswal further said, “Altrua 60 is the only pacemaker that has blended sensor technology, first of its kind in the world, and has been manufactured by Boston Scientific. Blended sensor has an ability to treat Chronotropic Incompetence (inability of heart to achieve appropriate physiological heart rate which is required for different type of activities a human being does in his daily life) and also Emotional Stress.  This is a completely automatic pacemaker.

Blended sensor measures the amount of air in lungs which accumulates whenever any patient does some activity without accelerating the body motion and also whenever goes into emotional stress. And if there is some air in the lungs, it is going to result in high resistance across the lungs. As soon as the pacemaker takes that reading of high resistance, it elevates the heart rate in response to this demand. And thus the appropriate heart rate results in proper pumping of oxygenated blood throughout the body and results in reducing symptoms.

This pacemaker also has other recognised and tested features to decrease mortality or death rate of patients. Worldwide, Chronotropic Incompetence ranges from 24% to 67% amongst the pacemaker patients which is very much same with Indian population.

Dr Jaswal has performed over 22,000 invasive procedures and more than 10,000 cardiac interventions. He is a part of the Fortis Hospital for last nine years. He has performed more than 11,000 transradial invasive procedures and 5,500 Transradial Interventions including complex transradial interventions. After completing MBBS in 1982, he did MD (Medicine) in 1986 from Govt Medical College, Amritsar, followed by DM (Cardiology) from PGI Chandigarh.