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Now, telemedicine for high-risk heart patients

DUBAI — Reducing the need for a rush to the hospital, high-risk heart patients can stay in touch with their health providers through telemedicine, the latest technique being used in Dubai hospitals.

The new technology ensures that patients stay in constant touch with their health providers in case of emergencies. “They need not panic and rush to hospital fearing the worst,” explained Dr Azan Binbrek, consultant cardiologist and head of Cardiology Department in Rashid Hospital.

Patient data is recorded and transmitted via landline/mobile telephone through the event recorder, a simple device which also acts and an ECG machine. The collected data is then processed and immediately relayed vie email/fax to the healthcare professional.

“Telemedical monitoring offers many advantages and new opportunities for patient management in the field of cardiology (as well as for those suffering from other chronic illnesses, including diabetes and blood pressure,” he pointed out.

He said that many people, including youngsters, faced palpitations from time to time. “These may be benign in nature, but as care providers, we have to distinguish between them correctly. By the time a patient rushes to the hospital, the vital recordings needed may not be available. In this case, the event recorder plays an important role by sending the required data to a physician on time,” explained Dr Binbrek.

Dr Fauz Gataby, Marketing Associate, Vitaphone ME, providers of similar German technology explains that telemedicine is already being used worldwide to monitor chronic illnesses. “A cardiac patient cannot make it to a hospital before two hours minimum. The time lapse causes gaps in proper ECG recordings,” he said.

Using the gadget is easy. “Place it on your chest, and press a button. The ECG will be done automatically. This data has to be transferred to a mobile or regular phone through the infrared which will convert it to a PDF file and send it to a pre-allocated number (to a healthcare provider),” says Dr Gataby.