Portable ECG Device saves lives in Kedarnath, reduces cardiac mortality rate by 99%

Bengaluru, November 25th, 2022: Sunfox Technologies, a health-tech startup focused on creating portable, affordable, and accessible med-tech devices for the future, has managed to impact the lives of pilgrims in Kedarnath by reducing the overall fatalities due to heart attacks within just 3 months. Sunfox’s screening camp screened nearly 1500 pilgrims of which 163 were identified with abnormalities and advised to either discontinue the trek or look at alternatives based on clinical assessment. This steeply reduced the deaths from 63 in a month to just 3.

Low oxygen levels and low temperatures at high altitudes lead to cardiac abnormalities that mostly go unchecked, resulting in an unprecedented number of deaths. With a record number of deaths due to heart-attacks in Kedarnath this year, the start-up in Dehradun, worked with the Uttarakhand government to set up a free three-bed screening camp at the starting point of the pilgrimage, near Sonprayag, in July 2022.

Concerning the achievement and overall impact on the industry, Founder and CEO of Sunfox Technologies, Mr. Rajat Jain said, “Cardiovascular diseases (heart attack and stroke) are the leading cause of death in India and worldwide. When it comes to cardiovascular mortalities in India, heart ailments caused more than 2.1 million deaths in 2015 at all ages, as per a study part of the Million Death Study project set up by the Registrar General of India (RGI) in collaboration with global health experts. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with timely diagnosis, especially if we had access to reliable point-of-care devices. Effective use of such technologies can make up for the limitations we often face in our country with respect to accessible healthcare and a competent workforce. The results from our work in Kedarnath have validated the efficacy of our technology, with true potential to transform our healthcare landscape and ensure cardiac health is in the hands of the people ”

Sunfox’s miracle device ‘Spandan’ is an easy-to-operate, matchbox-sized ECG device which can detect heart attacks and heart abnormalities on a smartphone. The design makes it usable both at homes as well as at local clinics and costs 20x less than a standard ECG machine. With a 99.7% accuracy rate, the device, through its Artificial Intelligence, detects 21 arrhythmia patterns, 12 heart dysfunctions, and 12 kinds of STEMI and ischemia. The device can be used at home for self-monitoring in the same way people use blood pressure monitors. Sunfox has created meaningful partnerships with Emcure, Healthians, and dozens of hospitals to take its impact to each corner of the world. (https://sunfox.in/)

The firm recently raised Rs. 1 crore at Shark Tank India from Namita Thapar (Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Peyush Bansal (Co-Founder, Chief Executive & People Officer of Lenskart), Vineeta Singh (Co-Founder and CEO of SUGAR cosmetics), Ghazal Alagh (Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Mamaearth) and Anupam Mittal (Founder of shaadi.com and avid angel investor). The team was one of the few contestants that bagged an “All Shark Deal” at the show.

“Kedarnath campaign by Sunfox is a small example of the immense life-saving potential of this breakthrough innovation ‘Spandan’. Emcure is proud to support Spandan for Kedarnath campaign and Sunfox has been one of my favourite startups from Shark Tank portfolio. I believe that they can become a meaningful part of the world’s efforts to achieve a significant leap to reduce the mortalities due to heart attacks.” says Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals and Shark Tank Judge.

Sunfox has grown rapidly after the deal, impacting 8000+ clinics across 2000+ Pincodes in the last few months. They have saved 2000+ lives in the past few months by commoditizing cardiac diagnostics. The firm has also received state government funding as a beneficiary of Startup India and got appreciated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister himself on National TV.

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