Ahmedabad: City-based cardiac surgeons have pointed to a surge in heart failure cases, including among youngsters, in recent years and warned that the treatment burden was likely to increase in the future.Against a requirement of more than 85,000 heart transplants, India currently performs close to 250 annually, highlighting a major gap that experts said must be bridged through technology.Dr Anil Jain, founder director of Epic Hospital, said on Wednesday that while Gujarat witnessed a rise in cadaveric heart donations and subsequent transplants, the pace of the condition was outstripping availability.“When the conventional surgeries do not work, we have to look to technology to ensure quality of life for patients. We are partnering with Chennai-based MGM Healthcare to provide Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) and other interventions to patients with severe heart conditions,” Jain said.Dr K R Balakrishnan, chairman of cardiac sciences at MGM Healthcare, said they were working on solutions such as improving the timing of preserving hearts during transit after retrieval, as well as mechanical devices that can support patients with severe heart conditions.The experts said LVAD implantation can provide mechanical circulatory support to patients with advanced heart failure when conventional treatment becomes insufficient.
