Archive for the ‘ Cardiac ’ Category

Caring for Your Heart

Thursday, March 3rd, 2022

What’s your excuse for ignoring your heart’s health? A hectic schedule, a fondness for junk food, or a lack of will to exercise? According to the World Health Organization, India accounts for one-fifth of all deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease. Every year, about 3 million people die from strokes and heart attacks around the world. In Indian men, 50% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 50, and 25% of all heart attacks occur before they reach the age of 40. Indian women also suffer from high mortality rates due to cardiac disease. Indians have a higher genetic risk of heart disease and get the condition a decade earlier than their western counterparts. It is critical to raise public awareness about heart disease and to take preventative actions in order to lower the country’s cardiovascular disease burden.

What is Heart disease?

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions affecting the cardiovascular system and each affect the heart and blood vessels in different ways. The most common ones include angina, heart attack, heart failure, cardiac arrest, congenital heart disease to name a few. Watch out for these heart attack symptoms:

  • Tightness or a squeezing sensation in your chest.
  • Nausea, indigestion or heartburn.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Cold sweat.
  • Pain in the left arm or the jaws.
  • Fatigue.
  • Light-headedness or sudden dizziness.

This is a medical emergency and needs urgent medical care.

Heart Disease: Know your risk

Knowing your heart disease risk and consulting a cardiologist for precautionary measures is the first step towards a healthy heart. Do not wait for any symptoms to show up, regular cardiac health checkup is a must for all. Speak to your doctor at the earliest if you have any of the below risks:

  • Have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
  • Are a smoker.
  • Are overweight.
  • Live a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Eat a poor diet.
  • Have a family history of heart disease.

Heart Disease: Preventive measures

Certain heart disease risk factors, such as age and family history, cannot be modified. However correct lifestyle choices can help reduce your risk of heart disease. The preventive measures include:

  • Get Moving
    Studies suggest that watching TV for two hours a day increase your risk of developing heart disease by 15 percent. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends being active for at least 30 minutes daily. Regular exercise also helps you lose weight faster, which is crucial because obesity raises your risk of heart disease.
  • Quit Smoking
    Cigarette smoking has been linked to cancer, lung disease, stroke, and heart disease, among other potentially fatal health issues. Smoking increases your chance of heart disease by two to four times, even if you have no other risk factors.
  • Manage Stress
    Stress causes strain on the heart, increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. Learn to cope better with stress. Exercising, listening to music, pursuing a hobby, reading and meditating are all good strategies to handle stress.
  • Maintain a Healthy Weight
    Maintaining a healthy weight is critical for preventing damage or fatigue to your heart. When you maintain a healthy weight, your blood circulates more efficiently and necessary fluid levels are maintained, reducing cardiac strain.
  • Eat Better
    Cut out sugary, salty and fatty foods from your diet. Eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains daily to keep your heart healthy. Ensure that you eat home cooked meals and avoid ordering in or using processed or packaged ingredients.
  • Manage Blood Pressure
    Know your numbers. A blood pressure of 120/80 is considered normal, if your blood pressure levels exceed 130, you should see a doctor.
  • Reduce Blood Sugar
    High blood sugar damages the lining of your blood vessels, making them more vulnerable to plaque formation. Control your diabetes levels by making healthy lifestyle changes or take medications if prescribed.
  • Manage High Cholesterol
    The “bad” cholesterol is low-density lipoprotein (LDL), whereas the “good” cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Plaque can build up on the walls of arteries if there is too much bad cholesterol and not enough good cholesterol. This can lead to heart disease. Control your cholesterol levels with the help of your doctor.

Heart care at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

Wondering if your heart is healthy and strong? Meet our highly efficient team for preventive cardiac care, prompt diagnosis and world-class treatment options. One of the pioneering medical institutes in western India Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital is equipped with a top notch Centre for Cardiac Sciences. With highly trained cardiologists and cardiac surgeons our specialists have the know-how to identify heart ailments early and take action as required. Our experts have performed more than 3700+ Coronary Angioplasties and 8500+ Cardiac Surgeries in the past. Please find below the link for our website details: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html

World Heart Day

Monday, September 28th, 2020

In India, more than 17 lakh people die every year due to heart diseases and by 2030, the figure is expected to increase with 2.3 crore deaths. As per the World Health Organization, Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the major cause of mortality globally, as well as in India. Indians due to their genetic make-up are more vulnerable to heart diseases as compared to their western counterparts. According to the Indian Heart Association, 50% of all heart attacks in Indians occur under 50 years of age and 25% of all heart attacks in Indians occur under 40 years of age. It is time that Indians make their heart health a priority and make positive changes towards reducing their risk of heart diseases.

Heart Disease: Types
Heart disease refers to various types of conditions that can affect heart function. These include:

  • Coronary artery (atherosclerotic) heart disease that affects the arteries connecting to the heart. Heart attack comes under this.
  • Valvular heart disease that affects how the valves function to regulate blood flow in and out of the heart.
  • Cardiomyopathy that affects how the heart muscle squeezes.
  • Heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias) that affect the electrical conduction.
  • Congenital heart disease heart has structural problems before birth.

Classic signs and symptoms of coronary heart disease may include:

  • Chest pain (angina)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Irregular heartbeat

If you notice any of these symptoms, this is a medical emergency and needs immediate attention.

Heart Disease: Risk factors
Several risk factors play an important role in determining if you will develop heart disease. Two of these factors, age, and heredity, are out of your control. However, you can make changes in your lifestyle to reduce your heart disease risk:

  • Smoking  – Smoking damages the blood vessels in your heart, brain, and other parts of your body. Quit smoking, protect your heart health.
  • Unhealthy diet  – The foods you eat can affect your heart health. What you eat and how much can impact other risk factors for heart disease, such as your cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and weight.
  • Being inactive  – People who aren’t active enough have a higher risk of developing heart disease. Doing regular physical activity or exercise often can cut your risk of having a heart attack or developing heart disease.
  • Obesity – Being overweight or obese can lead to many health conditions and increase your chances of developing heart disease. Achieving a healthy weight is an important step in improving your heart, health, and wellbeing.
  • Alcohol – Drinking a lot over the long term can increase your heart rate, blood pressure, weaken your heart muscle, and increase triglycerides. Say “No” to alcohol.

Heart Disease: Preventive measures
Heart disease is dangerous, but you can prevent heart disease to some extent by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. Here are strategies to help you protect your heart:

  • Exercise regularly
  • Stop smoking
  • Eat healthy
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Reduce stress in your life
  • Control your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers
  • Get an annual heart check-up done
  • Take medications for any health conditions

Heart Disease: Healthy eating
Your eating habits play an essential role in deciding your heart health. It is time to make some conscious changes to adopt a heart-healthy diet. Here are a few simple tips to follow:

  • Control your portion size
  • Eat more vegetables and fruits
  • Select whole grains
  • Limit unhealthy fats
  • Reduce the sodium in your food

Centre for Cardiac Sciences at Kokilaben Hospital
The burden of heart diseases in India is on the rise. Specialists at our Centre for Cardiac Sciences provide an all-inclusive programme for the management of heart disease from newborns to adults including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. The team also conducts advanced minimally-invasive procedures for valve replacement, key-hole surgery, beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting, and awake cardiac surgery. Our experts have performed more than 1700+ Coronary Angioplasties and 6200+ Cardiac Surgeries.

The centre is supported by

  • Advanced Cardiac Cath Labs
  • Dedicated Cardiac Operation Theatres
  • Fractional Flow Rate (FFR) for better diagnosis
  • External Counter Pulsation (ECP) for Refractory Cardiac Failure patients
  • Cardiac Electrophysiology for managing Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities0
  • Vibrant Non-Invasive Cardiology Programme

Centre for Children’s Heart
1 in 10 children suffers from congenital heart disease in India. Early detection and treatment aided by advanced technology help improve the survival and quality of life of newborns. The Children’s Heart Centre at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, is a world-class facility specialising in providing comprehensive care for neonates, infants, and children. The Centre possesses top of the line Heart Lung Machines used during surgeries, ECMO used in Critical Care, and 3D Echo machines for an accurate diagnosis.

Concerned about heart conditions like atherosclerosis, angina, heart failure, heart attack, irregular heartbeats, aortic valve disease, congenital heart problems? Consult highly trained experts from our Centre for Cardiac Sciences & Centre for Children’s Heart for timely diagnosis and exceptional treatment. Call us on 022 42699999 for any cardiac emergencies. Please find the below link for more details:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_cardiacsciences.html

Cardiac Transplantation

Wednesday, December 28th, 2016

Heart failure affects more than 20 million people in India. The heart fails to pump sufficient blood to provide oxygen and nutrients to tissues and they present with breathlessness, palpitation and leg swelling.

Pregnancy (post-partum cardiomyopathy), viral infection of heart (myocarditis), disease of arteries of heart (coronary artery disease), diabetic are common causes of heart failure. Despite maximum medical or surgical therapy, 60 per cent of all heart failures die in 5 years. A battery of very sophisticated investigations is needed to figure out the reversible cause of heart failure. Anti-failure drugs are useful as viral myocarditis, post-partum cardiomyopathy, post chemotherapy cardiomyopathy is reversible in some cases while coronary angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery may benefit patients with coronary artery disease with heart failure. Majority of patients continue to deteriorate despite maximal medical therapy, out of which a good number can still benefit from special pace makers called biventricular pacing, ICD or combo devices.

Why Heart Transplant?

When maximum therapy fails, heart transplant is only curative therapy to avoid sudden death and good quality life. Once patients are identified for heart transplant, they are put on the waiting list. When a suitable donor is available, thorough matching is done between patient and donor. Heart transplant surgery is like any other open heart surgery. Once diseased heart is replaced with new healthy heart, these patients recover very fast and go back to routines and office work in less than 2 months.

Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital is having a large volume heart transplant unit, well-supported by 45 doctors, nurses, paramedicals, transplant co-ordinator with Advanced Heart Failure Clinic, Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre, and Immunology Laboratory.

Rejection surveillance after heart transplant

Clinical examination, ECG, Echocardiography with some cardiac markers are basics to diagnose and treat early rejection. Endomyocardial Biopsy is invasive and costly examination, necessary at times. Now Heart Transplant Rejection surveillance is done using several adjunct non-invasive investigations based on electrophysiology, magnetic resonance imaging, biochemical markers, and gene expression profiling. The introduction of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), tacrolimus, cyclosporine microemulsion, sirolimus, rapamycin protein inhibitors, new generation monoclonal antibodies (anti-interleukin-2 receptor antagonists, daclizumab, basilix-imab, alemtuzumab), OKT3, and polyclonal biologic thymoglobulin has significantly increased our ability to fight rejection and achieve long-term survival.

Interstitial lung disease, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease is leading cause of lung failure. Lung transplant is only curative solution for these conditions when medical therapy fails. Lung transplant can save many lives if these patients are referred in time to Lung Transplant Unit. Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital has one of the largest Lung Transplant Unit, well-supported by Pulmonology services and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic.

Testimonial

I was suffering from end-stage heart failure. My doctors at Baroda told me that I may die anytime. Heart Transplant is the only solution I was told. I met Dr Nandkishore Kapadia, Director of Heart and Lung Transplant at Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai, who encouraged me for same. I got new heart and new life on 4th August 2016. I have fully recovered since then and living healthy and normal life. Kudos to Kokilaben Hospital’s Heart Transplant Team, headed by Dr Nandkishore Kapadia. My sincere thanks to Dr Nandkishore Kapadia, Dr Jamshed Dalal, Dr Praveen Kahale, Dr V. Lad and all supporting Nursing staff.

Mr Rajesh Shah

Dr Nandkishore Kapadia

MBBS, MS (Surgery), MCh (Thoracic Surgery), FIACTS, FSTS, FACC, PhD
Director – Heart & Lung Transplant Unit