AstraZeneca India together with Bengaluru-based health-tech startup Tricog has rolled out a programme called ‘Project Heart Beat’, which is focussed on an early and accurate diagnosis of heart attack patients, thereby reducing the mortality rates.

It is currently deployed in Tier-I and II towns and villages that lack access to quality healthcare. The project addresses the unmet need for early diagnosis and intervention for patients with a suspected heart attack by enabling cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) supported interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs), routing patients to the nearest Cath Labs or fibrinolysis centres, thereby ensuring accurate diagnosis and timely treatment and ultimately improving patient outcomes.  

The initiative aims to upskill the physicians and technicians at the primary and secondary care centres to better manage heart attack patients, by following the guideline-recommended ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome) treatment protocols and early referral to the tertiary care centres for better treatment outcomes. 

Gagan Singh Bedi, MD, AstraZeneca India, said, “Through this programme, we have already touched the lives of more than 13,000 patients and resulted in the early identification of abnormal ECGs that were referred to their respective tertiary care hospitals to further aid in effective disease management.”

Currently, Project Heart Beat has eight major hubs with all facilities to treat heart attack patients in India. To name a few, Sanjeevan Medical Center, Karad- Maharashtra, Metro heart, Faridabad -Delhi NCR, Spandan Hospital, Bhopal -Madhyapradesh, CKS hospital, Jaipur-Rajasthan, Lifeline hospital, Thane -Maharasthra, BKL Walawalakar Rural Medical College, Kasarwadi- Maharashtra, with a plan to expand the initiative across India in the coming months.