The National Referral Hospital has received its first intra-aortic balloon pump kit. The equipment will help patients with heart conditions to help the heart circulate enough blood to the rest of the body. The Rotary Club in Thimphu handed over the equipment today.
Intra-aortic balloon pump kit has a disposable balloon, which can be used once on a patient. The Rotary Club donated 16 balloons this time.
The club plans to send two doctors and seven nurses to India, this month, to get trained on using the device.
“We plan to do much more for the health ministry if possible in future with the help of Rotary International. Today’s equipment is the Inter-Aortic Balloon Pump, which costs around USD 72,600. We managed to do it with the help of the Rotary Club of Germany and the Rotary Club of Denmark and then the balance amount was matched by the Rotary International,” said Tsewang Rinzing, the president of the Rotary Club of Thimphu.
Doctors at the National Referral Hospital said the equipment is useful in failing heart scenarios such as artery blockage.
The equipment has a balloon that needs to be inserted into the blood vessel to assist the heart. The balloon will inflate and deflate aiding blood circulation.
Doctors added that the life-saving equipment is often used internationally during open heart surgery.
“Patients that benefit from this equipment are a group of patients that have heart failure, poor heart, or weak heart. The machine offloads the stress from the heart. This is one equipment, which will improve the standard of care that we provide at the heart centre in JDWNRH,” said Dr Mahesh Gurung, Interventional Cardiologist, JDWNRH.
Until today, the hospital relied on medication for heart patients but the doctor said the medication is not as effective as the equipment.
The equipment, which costs around Nu 8 M, will be part of the catheterisation laboratory or cath lab launched, last year.
Singye Dema
Edited by Sangay Chezom
