A saving LINQ

news-medical.net.

In the view of Dr Lana Boodhoo this is one way TT can seek to further diversify its economy. Dr Boodhoo is a consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist.

The national scholarship winner obtained her postgraduate training (PhD) from the University of London for her research in atrial fibrillation. She also pursued specialist training at Liverpool, England in the new field of cardiac electrophysiology, which deals with the assessment and treatment of heart rhythm problems.

Boodhoo returned to Trinidad in 2009, as the Caribbean’s first resident electrophysiologist and has since set up the region’s first heart rhythm clinic at the San Fernando General Hospital. She has also performed the first cardiac ablations in the public sector and the country’s first implants of MRI conditional pacemakers.

As a consultant at the St Augustine Private Hospital and Westshore Medical Private Hospital she is set to introduce another first in the country. Boodhoo introduced Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitoring System less than three months ago.

This, Boodhoo explained, could help doctors diagnose and treat irregular heartbeats that might be related to unexplained fainting.

What has been described as the smallest heart monitor on the market, “detects and records abnormal heart rhythms for up to three years.” The device is ultra discreet and involves less complications in implantation.

It took sometime to get the device into the country due to approvals from the telecommunications authorities because the information from this device can be transmitted wirelessly or the patient can come in and the information will be downloaded.

Although there was some bureaucracy, Boodhoo and her team persisted.

The device continuously monitors the heartbeat and allows for huge improvement in diagnostic process for patient with infrequent fainting, Boodhoo said.

It is, however, her wish that the medical advancements in the country’s private sector runs pace with what occurs in the public sector.

She said, “I think cardiology, locally, as in all fields of medicine, there are huge limitations that we face in terms of access to technology and even when technology is available, importing that technology.

Particularly, in an age where revenue, resources and foreign exchange is becoming less. These problems are more amplified in the public sector. I think to some extent they are surmountable in the private sector where we have less bureaucracy.

The private sector has been at the forefront of advances in the country.” She said it was important that the country was still at the fore of medical technology with the private sector only being two years behind in medical advancements, globally.

The device would cost about TT $20,000 but the implant curbs the further expense of having to do constant tests because of unexplained fainting. Patients could keep the implant for three years after which a diagnosis would have been made. The patient does not have to remove the device as it is so nondescript it can remain indefiitely, Boodhoo said.

Boodhoo aims to keep on pace with medical technological advancements happening globally.

She said the private hospital is soon to implement new mapping technology which allows for the building of virtual 3D reconstructions of various chambers of the heart, “which is going to increase the complexity and number of procedures we currently perform and bring us right on par with the quality of care in developed countries in the world.” For her, access to things like 3D technology enables the local medical field to widen the scope of procedures that are able to perform. She said complex heart procedures potentially opens the door to having patients from other countries which could be a potential source of foreign exchange in advancing medical tourism in TT. The burgeoning field of medical tourism needed to be done in conjunction with the private sector.

“It is a field that we do need to look at that would go a long way to TT’s economic diversification.” However, its growth was dependent upon technology being accessible. The sector, she added, had to have feasible cost models and had to be attractive to foreign markets.

“We have to provide a very enabling environment. When patients come here for a procedure we have to ensure they are safe, comfortable and can move about without fear....It is something which is feasible and there should be that imperative to get that going,” she said.