Hyderabad based Care Hospitals and Osmania University (OU) have joined hands to offer a new Master’s Programme in Electrophysiology.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India, inaugurated the new master’s programme for the first time in Andhra Pradesh. The new master’s degree course will be offered in the Biomedical Engineering department of Osmania University.

Under the programme, five M. Tech. students will work at the Care Hospitals’ Electrophysiology (EP) Laboratory for one year. They will receive training in handling EP devices and assist cardiologists in carrying out interventions. The initiative will provide a much-needed impetus to innovation in this area. At another level, 10 science graduates will be trained to work in the EP Lab for two years under a novel advanced PG diploma in Cardiac Electrophysiology Programme.

The main focus of this new programme is to generate professionals with specialization in cardiac electrophysiology. With the rising cases of heart diseases in the country, it has become imperative to have more professionals in advanced medical technologies such as cardiac electrophysiology.

Leading dignitaries who were present on the occasion of the new programme included Prof. Arun K Tiwari, director, CARE Foundation, Prof. S Satyanarayana, vice chancellor of Osmania University, Dr C Narasimham, Cardiac Electro physiologist at Care Hospitals, and Prof M Malini from the Biomedical Engineering Department, Osmania University.

Cardiac electrophysiology is the science of elucidating, diagnosing and treating the heart’s electrical activities. The term is usually used to describe studies of such phenomena by invasive catheter recordings of the heart’s electrical activity, aimed at assessing complex arrhythmias. The procedures include therapeutic methods (typically RF ablation), in addition to diagnostic and prognostic procedures (electrophysiology studies). Other therapeutic modalities employed in this field include anti-arrhythmic drug therapy and implantation of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

“Though cardiac electrophysiology is a relatively young sub-discipline of cardiology and internal medicine, it is one of the fastest evolving fields of medicine. It calls for precise skills, sharp mental faculties and cutting-edge technology,” said Prof Arun K Tiwari.

There are very few trained cardiac electro physiologists in India, working in even fewer well-equipped cardiology centers. Being a technology-intensive medical super specialty, the margin of error is minimal; high level training is essential for doctors in electronics and for electronics and biomedical engineers in cardiology. There is no formal program available, which creates a precarious situation and raises serious patient safety issues, pointed Dr C Narasimham.

The new programme is supported by Medtronic’s, the world leader in EP solutions and is aimed at bringing down the cost of essential pacemakers by 50 per cent over the next one year.