The aim is to enable rapid diagnosis of heart disease in all taluka and district health facilities in Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka has launched the STEMI program to enhance critical cardiac care in the state. It is a National Health Mission (NHM) recognised statewide program for early diagnosis and management of heart attacks. The aim is to enable rapid diagnosis of heart disease in all taluka and district health facilities in Karnataka along with timely treatment with the team of cardiologists at Sri Jjayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research to reduce the time taken for diagnosis and treatment, thus saving lives.
The objective is to save as many lives as possible and ensure good heart function. Delay in initiating a treatment for a heart attack increases the risk of death by 7 per cent for every 30 minutes. The focus is on immediate detection and intervention through pharma co-invasive therapy. This therapy is equally effective as primary angioplasty in semi-urban and rural areas where angioplasty is not readily available. By thrombolysing patients within the 12 hours window, 24 hours can be gained for angiogram/ angioplasty procedure. The state has formulated a protocol and coordinated to deliver an effective, positive outcome-oriented ‘Guideline Directed Therapy’ along with ‘Heart Attack Management Kit’
The first phase of STEMI Karnataka Program covers 15 districts – Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagar, Chikkaballapura, Tumkur, Kolar, Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Kalburgi, Bijapur, Yadgiri, Raichur. 45 health facilities that include Taluka Hospitals, District Hospitals, and General Hospitals are upgraded as spokes for STEMI detection and thrombolysis and are linked with 3 Hubs (Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research – Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Kalburgi) equipped with CATH LAB facility for further management.
The STEMI Karnataka Program uses technology powered by Tricog Health, a Bengaluru-based health AI company, to set up an end-to-end system of care for heart attacks and works on the following lines:
- Setting up a system of rapid detection using a cloud-connected 12 Lead ECG with round-the-clock interpretation of the cases within minutes by medical experts backed by AI. This includes a digital platform for care coordination and analytics
- A system of STEMI management, the “STEMI Protocol” is created by the state scientific committee consisting of eminent cardiologists under the leadership of Dr. C N Manjunath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology.
- The STEMI Karnataka program covers citizens for diagnosis and cardiac treatment like Thrombolysis, Angioplasty, Bypass etc., under the government health schemes – RKBK and PMJAY scheme for the eligible beneficiaries.