Shimla: Himachal Pradesh has become first State in North India and second in the country after Kerala to develop Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) Registry System for complete analysis of heart attack cases. This system has been developed by Cardiology Department of Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla. The data pertaining to cardiac arrest cases are received online from 22 Government hospitals and six private hospitals of the State and is compiled at IGMC.

Dr. P.C. Negi, Professor and Head of Cardiology Department, IGMC said that complete information of heart attack patients was being received from these 28 hospitals. He said that complete case history of patients viz: their gender, age, habits and specific area to which they belong was being maintained at IGMC Cardiac wing and was being analyzed regularly. He said that scientific analysis of this data assists in knowing the causes of heart attack cases in specific region besides improving the quality care of the patients. It was useful for training of health workers, health supervisors, health educators about the symptoms of heart attack among masses more precisely besides intervention of health authorities to reduce delay from symptom onset to hospital reporting.

He said that it was useful for identifying paramedical staff to be assigned the responsibility for community sensitization and prepare time line action plan for their training schedule.

Dr. Negi said that providing Medical Aid to the patient within six hours of the heart attack was of utmost important for the effective treatment. The data analyzed through ACS Registry helps us to know the rising cases of cardiac arrest in particular area and its causes and lifestyle of the people, said he. He said that on the basis of these studies of geographical distribution pattern of heart attack cases in the State, we can reach upon the areas where patients were being admitted in the hospitals within six hours of heart attack and help improving the services further.