Latest news with #NIT-Rourkela
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
NIT-R develops new atrial lead system for arrhythmia detection
Bhubaneswar/Rourkela: Researchers from NIT-Rourkela designed a novel lead placement system called the (ALS) using the electrocardiogram (ECG) machine and its electrodes to detect irregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, responsible for a large number of cardiac-related deaths around the world. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Usually, doctors or healthcare workers use an connected with 12 electrodes to measure the electrical activity of the heart by placing the electrodes on different parts of the body. Lead wires are connected with the electrodes and the ECG machine. In an ECG, doctors check the 'P-wave', which reflects the electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart. However, P-waves are often small and easily lost in background noise or obscured by stronger signals from other parts of the heart. As a result, detecting atrial arrhythmias can sometimes be difficult, particularly in busy clinical settings or with low-cost monitoring equipment, said the researchers. J Sivaraman, research lead and assistant professor, department of biotechnology and medical engineering, NIT-Rourkela, said lead placement involves positioning these electrodes to capture clear signals from the heart. Placing three leads and positioning the electrodes at the right place on the chest brought wonderful results in improving the accuracy of , he added. "The ALS uses a modified arrangement to improve how electrical activity from the atria is recorded. By strengthening these signals, especially the P-wave, the system helps improve the accuracy of arrhythmia detection, both by doctors and by computer-based diagnostic tools," he added. Other researchers were N Bala Chakravarthy and Kunal Pal, along with research scholars Prasanna Venkatesh and Arya Bhardwaj from NIT-Rourkela, with clinical collaborations and validation provided by Dr R Pradeep Kumar, Institute of Cardiac Care, MIOT International, Chennai. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Findings of this research were published in international journals, including Biomedical Signal Processing & Control, Medical Hypotheses, and Physical & Engineering Sciences in Medicine. The research team also filed a patent application for the atrial lead system. This new system helps in easily detecting subtle electrical signals from the upper chambers of the heart, which are often too indistinct to be seen clearly in regular ECGs. These signals play a key role in identifying abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to serious conditions such as , which can further lead to stroke, said Dr R Pradeep Kumar. Irregular heart rhythm in the heart's upper chambers, known as atrial arrhythmias, are among the most common, especially in patients who were hospitalised. Identifying these arrhythmias in an early state can help doctors begin timely treatment and prevent complications, said Sivaraman. The ALS mechanism requires no change to the ECG machine itself. The innovation lies entirely in the way the leads are placed, which means the upgrade can be easily adopted in both public and private healthcare settings without additional cost, said the researchers.
New Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Sundargarh feels heat as mercury goes past 43 degrees Celsius
ROURKELA: The Rourkela city and the rest of Sundargarh district are in the grip of a severe heatwave with temperature hovering above 43 degree Celsius. The automatic weather station (AWS) of the IMD at Sundargarh town on Thursday recorded the maximum temperature at 43.6 degree C. Similarly, the AWS on NIT-Rourkela campus, about 105 km from Sundargarh, reported the maximum temperature at 42.2 degree C. The Environment Engineering department of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) recorded the maximum temperature at 43.1 degree C on the day. Due to the hot weather conditions, streets and marketplaces in Rourkela city are wearing a deserted look in the afternoon with residents preferring to stay indoors. Sources said the temperature across the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) jurisdiction usually remains higher than the captive township of RSP or the NIT-Rourkela locality. With the mercury reaching 43 degree C in RMC limits, heating of overhead water tanks has become a problem for residents. RN Palai of Basanti Colony said the water stored in overhead tanks is heating up significantly during the daytime. Residents have to store water in buckets at least two hours before using it. Meanwhile, emergency officer of Sundargarh Ashwini Panda said so far, no report of sunstroke related casualty has been received from across the district. The administration has put in place all precautionary measures and is monitoring the situation. He said instruction has been issued to repair defunct tube-wells immediately and ensure drinking water supply through tankers in rural and urban areas facing scarcity. Labour officials have been asked to ensure that workers are not engaged in outdoor activities during the restricted hours. Chief district medical and public health officer Dr GP Mahanta said so far, only one patient with complaint of heat exhaustion is undergoing treatment and his condition is stable. Control rooms have been set up at the Sundargarh district headquarters hospital and Rourkela Government Hospital. Besides, special wards for sunstroke patients have been set up in all rural and urban government healthcare facilities across the district with adequate ORS packets and medicines, he added.
