PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) has achieved a significant milestone by successfully performing a groundbreaking procedure with the help of a cutting-edge technology device to protect heart patients from strokes.

Dr Mohammad Waleed, an interventional cardiologist specialising in structural heart diseases, led the procedure, the first of its kind in the country, saying it will provide a lifeline to patients at risk of stroke due to irregular heart rhythms.

Dr Waleed is an assistant professor at the PIC, who received training from heart specialist Professor David Hildick-Smith at Sussex Cardiac Centre, Brighton, England.

In the pioneering operation, Prof Hildick-Smith joined the PIC team and implanted the innovative device in a 71-year-old woman cardiac patient at the institute.

Doctor says initiative to save lives

Prof Hildick-Smith expressed his both astonishment and honour at the initiative in a Pakistani public hospital and said the technology could potentially save countless lives in the country, representing a new dawn for Pakistan’s healthcare.

Assistant Professor Dr Mohammad Waleed, a cardiologist at the PIC, said patients with irregular heart rhythms faced the constant threat of blood clot formation in the left atrial appendage (LAA) that could lead to a stroke.

He said traditional blood-thinning medications carried the risk of bleeding in various sensitive parts of the body.

“The LAA closure device offers hope to these patients by reducing the risk of stroke without the need for systemic blood thinners,” he said.

PIC CEO and medical director Prof Shahkar Ahmad Shah appreciated the “efforts and dedication” of his medical team and administrative staff members over the accomplishment and said the institute was committed to “connecting international technology and treatment methods” to benefit patients not only in the province but in other parts of the country as well.

“We [PIC] aspire to be a centre of excellence providing state-of-the-art health facilities to people in line with international standards. We will continue integrating cutting-edge technologies into the healthcare system ensuring patients in Pakistan have access to world-class care without the need to seek treatment abroad,” he said.

Prof Shahkar said the achievement represented a remarkable leap forward in the field of cardiology and underscored the PIC’s dedication to improving the lives of cardiac patients in the country.

He added that the introduction of the LAA closure device set a precedent in the country’s healthcare landscape offering hope to countless people with heart conditions,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2023