Dubai-based Vitaphone, a leading telemedicine firm, and the German Heart Centre have teamed up to develop a facility for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and the monitoring of patients using mobile diagnostic equipment.

With over 40 per cent of all deaths in the UAE caused by cardiovascular diseases, sufferers of severe heart conditions will now benefit from cutting-edge technology that will monitor their condition wherever they are in the country, a statement said.

“Our 24/7 specialised call centre now brings top healthcare right to a patients home,” said Dr Klaus Kallmayer, chairman of German Heart Centre.

“There is no more need to regularly drive to the clinic as everything our cardiovascular specialists need can be done by the patient from the comfort of their own home and transmitted to our computers, giving peace of mind for patients and their families.”

“More than 80 per cent of patients forget to take their medication regularly or measure their blood sugar levels correctly,” he pointed out.

“When a patient has a headache they can immediately take a pill, however high blood pressure can go unnoticed until it gets critical. Therefore this new technology will not only make things easier for heart patients, but should also make it safer,” Dr Kallamyer explained.

Medication needs to be taken on time and vital medical data, such as blood pressure, blood sugar level and heart rhythm are regularly monitored by a specialist, which is the biggest benefit of Vitaphone’s technology, the statement added.

Kai Trompeter, Vitaphone’s executive director Middle East, said: “Having just started rolling this out in the UAE we are already seeing huge interest in this market from existing patients and there are already over 500 electrocardiograms being sent in using the technology.”

“The product is easy to use and we have the utmost confidence in German Heart Centre, which has highly experienced German cardiologists on call to deal with any incidents at any time,” he added.

“For example, heart-rhythm disorders occur sporadically and usually when no doctor or ECG device is in the vicinity.  Patients at risk of heart attack receive a small, portable, intelligent ECG device, which they can wear like a necklace.”

“This device constantly monitors the heart rhythm and in the case of an abnormality, will automatically detect this, record an ECG and send it to the doctor’s PC and Fax via Bluetooth and mobile phone, without the patient having to do anything further. This is almost like bringing the doctor to the patient and not the other way around.”

Dr Kallmayer continued: “One of our patients used to make regular visits from his home in Al Ain to our centre, which is a round trip of 280 kilometres. We have now provided him with a Vitaphone device, which looks almost like a credit card, but is actually a portable ECG device.”

“Now when he feels something could be wrong, he holds the card to his chest, an ECG is recorded and via his mobile phone the data is sent to us for analysis,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service