When your ticker is sicker Orange does it quicker

June 1, 2022

Brian Terry. Supplied.

By staff writer

Travel to Sydney hospitals to have a pacemaker inserted will no longer be necessary for some patients, with Orange's Dudley Private Hospital now equipped to perform the potentially life-saving surgery.

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Brian Terry, 90, of Condobolin received the first ever pacemaker fitted in the region this week.

“I’m doing well, still a little sore," Terry said. "I’m happy to be in my own home."

A pacemaker is a small device implanted in the chest to help control a slow or irregular heartbeat.

“Thanks to the new cardiac catheter laboratory at Dudley Private Hospital ... we can very safely fit pacemakers, and replace those with battery issues, here in Orange," Dudley Private Hospital head of cardiology, Dr David Amos, said.

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“Pacemaker patients are often elderly and getting to Sydney can be a challenge for them and their families. Being able to have the procedure in Orange is a major step forward for cardiology patients in the region.”

Terry’s pacemaker was fitted by specialist Dr Caroline Medi, who visits Orange regularly from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

However, Dr Amos said a new cardiologist, Dr Sameer Karve, has now moved to Orange and is currently completing fellowship training in cardiac device implantation and will be here full time from next year.