A Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) doctor has developed a cost-effective technology that can provide prompt assistance and save a person at home suffering from cardiac arrest. The ‘Sanjivani’ handheld gadget, as the name suggests, is a critical lifesaving device. Its development assumes significance as various reports and studies have reflected a significant increase in heart attack-related deaths in recent years.
Now, approximately 85% of sudden cardiac arrests are reported at home or outside hospitals with a survival rate of less than 10%. The human brain suffers irreversible damage after six minutes of cardiac arrest in the absence of high-quality chest compressions, which means pressing the middle part of the chest at a rate of 100 per minute and a depth of at least 5 centimeters while allowing complete chest recoil between two successive compressions.
The key to saving a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest is by applying the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedure. If initiated early, it can triple the survival rate. Poor emergency medical service, traffic congestion and the large population in India pose a challenge. It’s the family members, friends or bystanders who have to initiate the call for help and provide high-quality chest compression till the arrival of emergency medical help. This is where the Sanjivani device comes as a game-changer, said Dr Ashok Kumar Badamali, Associate Professor of Cardiac Anaesthesia, KIMS.
Sanjivani comes in quick aid to revive the patient by the immediate respondent while waiting for ambulances. “Human hand has more than 20 small bones in palm area making quality chest compression a difficult job for the rescuer due to 90-degree position of palm and forearm in manual chest compressions. A first responder can perform high-quality CPR till the arrival of the emergency medical team for a victim of cardiac arrest with Sanjivani where the palm and forearm bones are in a longitudinal position,” he explained.
The Department of Biotechnology has sanctioned its highest flagship “Biotechnology Ignition Grant” of Rs 50 lakh to Dr Badamali for developing the Sanjivani ecosystem to connect event sites with hospitals and ambulances seamlessly. A team of experts from various IITs, IIMs, and established business consultants have approved the project after a series of scrutiny.
The innovation has been appreciated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during the inauguration of the startup building O-Hub in Bhubaneswar. It was also appreciated by the head of medical innovation, WHO, Louise Agarsnap on the World Health Day on April 7 during the inauguration of the first global WHO Medical Innovation Collaboration Centre at Visakhapatnam.