Dr. Divyesh Sadadiwala
Pediatric Cardiologist Director and Founder, Happy Hearts, Gujarat, India
Dr. Divyesh Sadadiwala is a leading Pediatric Cardiologist with over 12 years of experience treating more than 5,000 patients of congenital heart disease. He is also the Director and Founder of Happy Hearts, a clinic specially for the treatment of infants and children suffering from congenital heart disease. Dr. Divyesh talks about the new diagnostics and treatment options available for congenital heart disease and his experience with Mindray’s MX7, dedicated portable Ultrasound system.
HOW IMPORTANT IS ECHO IN PEDIATRICS?
Around 8-10 out of every 1000 newborns have congenital heart disease, amounting to nearly 200,000 newborns born with congenital heart disease in India every year. Of these, nearly one fifth have serious defects and require an intervention in the first year of life. Timely diagnosis is of utmost importance to deal with any serious consequences. Echocardiography has proven to be the gold standard test for diagnosis of congenital heart diseases. Its accuracy, noninvasiveness and being painless and relatively inexpensive makes it an invaluable tool in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit.
"NEARLY 200,000 NEWBORNS ARE BORN EVERY YEAR WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE. ONE FIFTH OF THESE HAVE SERIOUS DEFECTS AND CAN BE FATAL"
WHAT DISEASES CAN BE TREATED / RULED OUT IN ECHO AS EARLY DAYS?
Echocardiography allows us to diagnose almost all congenital as well as acquired heart diseases in infants and children.
Cardiac assessments that include physical examinations are performed for newborns after birth to identify any heart anomalies. However, an echocardiographic investigation offers higher sensitivity in detecting any congenital heart issue.
For additional information, we may need additional tests like CT or MRI scan, electrocardiograms, cardiac catheterization etc. Many times, in NICU and PICU, echocardiography is useful for functional assessment of the heart even in noncardiac patients
HOW CAN WE TREAT CONGENITAL ABNORMALITIES BETTER IN FUTURE?
The treatment for congenital abnormalities depends on the severity of the disease. Some defects may not require any treatment, while for some, treatment can include surgeries, medications and regular follow-ups.
We offer interventions and open-heart surgeries for children suffering from such abnormalities. With regular cardiac follow ups and echocardiography, we can determine exact timings of these procedures. Moreover, with the development of interventional cardiology, patients can also benefit from minimally invasive procedures.
HOW CAN WE TREAT CONGENITAL ABNORMALITIES BETTER IN FUTURE?
The treatment for congenital abnormalities depends on the severity of the disease. Some defects may not require any treatment, while for some, treatment can include surgeries, medications and regular follow-ups.
We offer interventions and open-heart surgeries for children suffering from such abnormalities. With regular cardiac follow ups and echocardiography, we can determine exact timings of these procedures. Moreover, with the development of interventional cardiology, patients can also benefit from minimally invasive procedures.
"INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY CAN CHANGE THE COURSE OF TREATMENT IF CONGENITAL HEART DISEASES BRINGING IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE PROCEDURES"
“3-D echo, point of care Ultrasound, integration of Artificial Intelligence and new forms of image visualization are some of the innovations in echocardiography”
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON USING MINDRAY TECHNOLOGY?
When it comes to medical devices and new age technology, Mindray has been a trusted name. I had worked in the past on a Mindray echocardiography machine. So, when it came to deploying equipment for my new clinic, Mindray seemed the best option. Additionally, before zeroing in on a machine for my new clinic I had invited Mindray company representatives. They have been extremely helpful and provided me with great user experience.
HOW IS YOUR FEEDBACK ABOUT THE COMPANY AS A USER?
Company’s products and its people establish a company in the market. Mindray’s products are extremely user friendly, and their customer service is excellent, especially the after sales support. Mindray’s employees are very much responsive in nature for all doubts raised by me till now. I hope Mindray maintains its excellent streak and I wish to continue our partnership with them.
WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF IMPROVEMENT FROM A CLINICIAN’S POINT OF VIEW?
With better echocardiography machines available our life has become much easier. There are several advances coming in such as 3-D echo, point of care Ultrasound, integration of Artificial Intelligence and new forms of image visualization which further has potential to help us treat our patients better. Multiple innovations are coming to help with the diagnosis and treatment better. It’s about time for such innovations to be integrated in a wider practice for optimal clinical outcomes.
“Mindray’s products are extremely user friendly, and their customer service is excellent, especially the after sales support”
MX7 – HOW IT MATCHES YOUR EXPECTATION
This is a remarkable machine for cardiac imaging. Its ZST platform and customizable touch screen facilitates accurate diagnosis. The best part is its 8-hour long battery time which has been extremely helpful, especially while handling mobile diagnosis. With the ZST platform I can see this machine creating a new path for the company
