The Cardiac Disease
Prevention & Rehabilitation programme (Gym with a difference) at the Heart &
Stroke Foundation of Barbados recently received a major boost with the
installation of a new Telemetry Unit.
The acquisition of the state-of-the-art equipment was as a
result of a Service Level Agreement and Contract that the Foundation entered
into with the Government of Barbados in September last year, through which the
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados will receive $900,000 over a the next five
years to assist it in providing expanded services in its Cardiovascular Disease
Prevention and Rehabilitation (CDP&R) programme.
Under the contract patients assessed and referred from the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who would not otherwise have been able to take
advantage of the CDP&R Programme owing to financial inability, will be able to
benefit from this vital after care service following heart attack, stroke or
other major cardiac event.
The Unit was supplied by Pelegrina Equipment, and in January
a team of technical and diagnostic application specialists, comprising Tim
Cleveland, Norberto Rodriguez and Paul Vazquez, visited the Foundation to
install the equipment and instruct staff members in its use.
The Telemetry Unit has several functions, including
monitoring the patient’s heart rate and rhythm during exercise. This is crucial
for the early detection of abnormalities in order that the patient will receive
prompt medical intervention and treatment as appropriate. The system also stores
biographical data and exercise prescriptions for each individual patient. It can
also generate comprehensive reports after each session and on completion of
phase 2.
The Cardiac Disease
Prevention & Rehabilitation programme (Gym with a difference) at the Heart &
Stroke Foundation of Barbados recently received a major boost with the
installation of a new Telemetry Unit. 
