In a bid to save scores of patients suffering from chronic heart diseases, cardiac care major Narayana Hrudayalaya is now offering Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) also referred to as the artificial heart as a safe and cost-effective solution over heart transplant.
LVAD is a battery-operated, mechanical pump-type device that is surgically implanted. It assists the failing left ventricle that can't effectively work on its own.
The key benefit of LVAD is its easy availability. The device is made of biocompatible materials and therefore rejection from the body does not occur. This feature attributes to its economies of scale, mainly after the implantation, frequent biopsies and administration of expensive immunosuppressant drugs can be done away with.
"The cost of an LVAD procedure is Rs.45 lakh which includes Rs 35 lakh for the device and Rs 10 lakh as surgery expenses," said Dr Bagirath Raguram, Consultant Cardiologist, Narayana Hrudayalaya. It is cost effective primarily because it is a one-time expenditure. Apart from daily dressing, charging of batteries and replacement of worn out batteries, there is no other expenditure to the patient, he added.
The hospital claims that it is the first multi-specialty hospital in Asia to offers the LVAD procedure to patients diagnosed with chronic heart diseases like heart failure, Cardio Myopathy or any cardiovascular disease.
In India, about 20 million patients suffer from heart failure and two million new cases are being reported annually. Around 20 per cent of the cases succumb every year without aid. The only solution is heart transplantation and this is limited by availability of donor hearts when there is still time for survival. But modern technology now has the best possible solution which is the LVAD, stated Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, managing director, Narayana Hrudayalaya.
Though the procedure is expensive now, the doctors in Narayana Hrudayalaya opined that the cost of the procedure could come down by Rs 32 lakh to Rs 17 lakh going by increased volumes.
The left ventricle of the heart is a muscular chamber that pumps blood out to the body. The LVAD, is an ultimate treatment option for end-stage heart disease patients who need heart transplants with donor heart. This device is also referred to as called a 'bridge to transplant'.
Research shows that LVADs have restored failing hearts in some patients with heart failure, completely eliminating the need for a transplant. According to an abstract presented at the American Heart Association's 2007 Scientific Sessions, LVAD's reduced the risk of death in end-stage heart failure patients by 50 per cent at six and 12 months and extended the average life span from 3.1 months to more than 10 months.