Keep your Heart safe from sudden cardiac arrest

The heart is the most important organ of the human body. As the age grows, its functionality decreases and hence calls for more care and attention. People who get hospitalized above 65 years of age have heart failure as the most common reason. There has also been a steady rise in the risk of sudden cardiac arrest where 2.5 million people are at stake. To address this roaring issue pertaining to heart health latest methodologies are used to prevent such diseases.

Dr. C. Raghu, Director, Senior Interventional Cardiologist at Aster Prime Hospital, Hyderabad along with Dr. Klaus Witte, Associate Professor in Cardiology and Consulting Cardiologist at University of Leeds, United Kingdom are creating awareness about importance of heart health. Major threat to human health, growth and development is due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). One of the major NCD identified come in the category of cardiovascular diseases.

The World Congress of Cardiology estimates that by 2020, 48% of deaths in India will have heart disease as the prime reason. Heart Failure is also an untamable beast that has taken 1.3 to 4.6 million people in its grasp. This figure of people are suffering from coronary heart diseases whose symptoms include hypertension, obesity, diabetes and rheumatic heart disorders.

The most threatening ailment that a person could have related to heart is Sudden Cardiac Arrest, or SCA. In India, 2.5 million people are prone to this daunting affair. Heart Failure is a condition where a persons heart stops supplying and pumping blood without any warning. The hearts working efficiency drastically decreases. The worst part is that it can affect a person of any age with or without any prior heart diagnosis. In a situation where a person suffers from SC, the heart abandons functioning and the first signs include breathing difficulty and loss of consciousness.

Dr. Raghu says that heart failure is a complex condition and has to be treated meticulously by providing extra special care and attention. He appreciates the collaboration with Dr. Witte in treating heart failures in India and hopes that he with his team will be able to combat this deadly disease. The doctors advice people to stop smoking, limit their sodium intake, try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, lose excessive weight and reduce stress levels to keep the heart healthy.

To counter heart ailments, treatments like Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is also useful and effective. This is an artificial device that is planted in the person’s upper chest. This is a stopwatch sized device that is helpful in improving heart pumping activity. The device works by monitoring heart rate by sending and receiving tiny electrical pulses. CRT can either be CRT-P (Pacemaker) or CRT-D (Defibrillator) depending upon the requirement of the patient. Dr. Witte is a specialist in fitting these devices and has implanted more than 1000 devices. He is involved in research activities and has published numerous International journals.