Media Release
Mangalore, Aug 1: “The best way to prevent heart failure is for us to be aggressive in treating people exposed to the risk factors, such as those suffering from diabetes and hypertension,” said Dr Jayaprakash S, professor of Electrophysiology, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bangalore.
"The greatest risk factors for heart failure are ischemic heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes. Hence the general measures of treatment include lifestyle modification, weight reduction, avoiding toxins like smoking and alcohol in addition to treating existing heart disease.”
He was addressing members of Mangalore Branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) at a Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme on ‘Heart Failure Management’ on Saturday, July 27 at Hotel Ocean Pearl at 8:30 p.m.
Describing the heart as a vital organ, he said the heart starts beating while the fetus is still in the womb and beats continuously till we die. The function of the heart is to receive blood at low pressure and expel it at higher pressure. “Abnormality in performing this basic function results in inefficient pumping of blood, leading to heart failure,” he said.
He further clarified that heart disease is linked to longevity. “The longer we live, the greater our chances of having heart disease. 10/1000 people over 65 years of age suffer from heart failure,” he said, observing that annually about 22 million cases of heart failure are reported worldwide.
Sudden cardiac arrest and gradual heart failure are the two modes of death in heart failure. In the case of sudden cardiac arrest, in most cases there may not be instant death and the patient could be unconscious for a few minutes. Hence resuscitation is possible if treatment is provided immediately, he said. Explaining the modalities of treatment including administration of various drugs, he said, implantation of pacemaker and cardio ventricular defibrillator is often recommended for heart failure patients to enhance their survival.
Concluding the talk on a pragmatic note, he warned: “Heart failure is a chronic progressive disease. It is treatable but not curable; hence most of the treatments are palliative in nature and a way of cheating death. Once a person has been diagnosed for heart failure, observing even the best health care measures and feeling symptomatically better does not reduce the risk of the patient undergoing sudden cardiac arrest.”
Dr Narasimha Pai and Dr Padmanabha Kamath, associate professors and Interventional Cardiologists at KMC Hospital Mangalore were the chairpersons of the CME.
IMA Mangalore Branch president Dr Manjunath Shenoy welcomed the gathering. Dr Veena Bhagwan compeered the programme. Dr Vasanthi Shetty and Dr Amitha Bhandary handed over the mementos. Manoj Dubey proposed the vote of thanks.
The CME was sponsored by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., and India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd.