Kolkata, September 28, 2022: Doctors at Fortis Hospital Anandpur gave a new lease of life to 46-year-old man, suffering from Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Bradycardia (slow heart rate) - a serious heart condition. A team of doctors led by Dr. Priyam Mukherjee, Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Anandpur treated the patient by using the latest advanced technology - HIS Bundle Pacing. Although Dilated Cardiomyopathy cases are not rare, what made this case complex was the slow heart rate of the patient, which is a rare condition in such cases.

The patient was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of acute heart failure and his heart rate was around 35-40 beats per minute. Additionally, the patient also suffered from irregular heart rate (atrial fibrillation with slow heart rate) which makes the candidate not very suitable for conventional device (CRTD) implantation. Owing to slow and ineffective heart function, the patient's blood circulation was affected, further impacting the brain and kidneys.

HIS bundle pacing (HBP) offers a more physiologic alternative mode of pacing the ventricle using the native His-Purkinje system. His bundle pacing (HBP) has been shown to be a safe and effective alternative pacing modality that also avoids pacemaker-induced cardiomyopathy (PICM) by providing "physiological" ventricular stimulation through the native conduction system.

Talking about the case, Dr. Priyam Mukherjee, Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Hospital Kolkata, said, “A high heart rate is observed in most patients who suffer from heart failure and in some patients, Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is performed. During a CRT, a pacemaker (a small device inserted into the interior chest wall) helps to coordinate the function of the left and right ventricles of the heart. The case was discussed with Electrophysiologist, Dr. Azizul Haque and Dr. Basab Bijoy Sarkar, Internal Medicine, and a novel device therapy called HIS-Bundle pacing was decided to be suitable for this patient.

“This was a challenging case for us as the patient required immediate medical attention, otherwise he would have lost his life. It was crucial that we acted promptly and thus  a unique pacing method called HIS-Bundle pacing was used which directly stimulates the HIS-Bundle in the heart, allowing for more physiological pacing than is possible with conventional pacing. By using electrophysiological analysis, the HIS-Bundle is found, and a pacemaker lead is then put there. After implanting the HIS-Bundle device it has been observed that the patient’s ECG morphology becomes better, and cardiac output improved significantly. There are a lot of evidence and research paper have revealed the importance of HIS-Bundle pacing in patients with low ejection fraction like this patient. Currently, the patient is doing well and under observation. Another echocardiogram is expected to be conducted after a month,” Dr. Mukherjee added.

Expressing his gratitude to the doctors at Fortis, the patient said, "I am grateful to the doctors at Fortis Hospital Kolkata who took prompt action to save my life. I am confident that in a few days, I will be able to recover fully and go back to my daily life as before."

About Fortis Healthcare Limited

Fortis Healthcare Limited – an IHH Healthcare Berhad Company – is a leading integrated healthcare services provider in India. It is one of the largest healthcare organizations in the country with 27 healthcare facilities (including projects under development), 4100 operational beds, and over 419 diagnostics centres (including JVs). Fortis is present in India, United Arab Emirates (UAE) & Sri Lanka. The Company is listed on the BSE Ltd and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India. It draws strength from its partnership with global major and parent company, IHH, to build upon its culture of world-class patient care and superlative clinical excellence. Fortis employs 23,000 people (including SRL) who share its vision of becoming the world’s most trusted healthcare network. Fortis offers a full spectrum of integrated healthcare services ranging from clinics to quaternary care facilities and a wide range of ancillary services.