Second-hand pacemakers bring new life to patients in Mumbai

“Like other things,pacemakers too can be recycled and reused. It is optimisation of resources since people are dying in India due to lack of resources,” Kantharia said in a co-authored study,‘Reuse of Explanted Permanent Pacemakers Donated by Funeral Homes’,published online in the American Journal of Cardiology on October 14.

During the seven-year span of the project,121 used pacemakers were brought to Mumbai,of which 37 were implanted in new patients and 16 in patients who needed their pacemakers replaced. Over half of these recipients had complete heart blocks. Over a follow-up of 661 days,none of the patients suffered complications like infection or device failure,the study said.

“Recyclable pacemakers is an untapped resource in the US. Around 19 per cent of deceased patients die with a cardiac device on them,but 85 per cent of the devices are buried with the patients and most of the rest are discarded as medical waste,” Kantharia said.

A survey done to back the study showed that given a choice,most people would pass on their device to someone needy. Kantharia gave the example of the US Food and Drug Administration which slots pacemakers as a ‘single use’ device despite studies showing that if recycled devices are properly sterilised,infection rate can be as low as 2 per cent.

“The procedure is the same as a regular pacemaker implant. The only difference is that the devices are being given free of cost which is of great help since they are expensive devices,” said Dr Brian Pinto,chief cardiologist at Holy Family Hospital. “The success rate of the implants is 98% which is major boost in our city where such a huge population suffers from cardiac diseases.”

Despite the success,Kantharia and his colleagues have made it clear that the project is for charity,and not intended to make money. The project has so far been restricted to Holy Family.