Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee has developed a mobile app which will prove to be a big boon to heart patients.

Called ‘Dhadkan’, the app will remotely monitor patients at risk of heart failure and provide them with medical assistance.

Developed by Computational Biology group led by Deepak Sharma, assistant professor, Department of Biotechnology, IIT, Roorkee, the app has been designed to be ‘easy-to-use’ so that people in rural areas can easily be benefitted.

The app has unique feature which enables it to send notifications automatically to both the doctor and the patient in case of any drastic changes in patient’s data indicating possibility of imminent heart failure.

Dhadkan which can be downloaded free from Google Play Store was developed in collaboration with Sandeep Seth and Gopichandran from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

Speaking about the features of the app, Deepak Sharma, assistant professor at department of biotechnology, IIT-Roorkee said, “Dhadkan app will be of immense help to patients who live in distant areas and cannot come at regular intervals to tertiary care hospitals.”

“It collects patient’s data (at any desired interval) on blood pressure, heart rate, and weight, and transmits it to the authorized caregiver (a doctor, nurse or paramedic) who is linked to the patient during the initial registration,” he further said.

Dhadkan also provides a two-way communication between doctors and patients. In addition, patients have the freedom to send ECG reports to the doctor (if needed) through the app.

Amidst various reports saying that India has about 10 million patients at risk of heart failure, the app holds immense significance.