Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the nation’s second largest referral facility cut a slice of medical history for itself after it successfully put Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD) inside four patients suffering from severe heart conditions.


This is the first time that there had been an ICD device implantation in the West African sub-region to monitor the heart of a patient and prevent it from stopping.

A team of cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons at the hospital and their counterparts from Cardiostat International began the process by performing open heart surgery on the four.

This was on the fifth mission of the Cardiostat International Team to the country to assist treat heart diseases and perform surgery on patients, as well provide support for capacity building and training of local heart surgeons and cardiologists at KATH.

Dr. Isaac Kofi Owusu, Consultant Cardiologist at facility, told journalists that about 60 per cent of patients with congenital, rheumatic and other severe heart diseases die suddenly because of heart failure.

The device helps to prevent any such sudden deaths and that alongside regular medication this enables the patient to live longer.

He highlighted the need for people to lead healthy lifestyles to prevent heart diseases and said regular blood pressure checks, good eating habits, exercises and proper treatment of sore throat in childhood could reduce heart infections.

Dr. Philip Wendschuh, Mission Coordinator of the Cardiostat Team, said the ICD device could add between eight to 10 years to the life of a patient.

The device is expensive and costs about US$20,000 dollars.

Dr. Wendschuh said ICDs planted in the four patients were procured through the support of Medtronic Company in the United States.

Dr. Clement Akomea-Agyin, a United Kingdom (UK)-based Ghanaian cardiothoracic surgeon, with the team said the mission provides opportunity to give help to people with severe heart problems unable to receive regular treatment due to the high cost.