As per the World Health Organisation, heart diseases kill close to 17.9 million individuals every year and there is a need to address this silent killer. TOI Medithon, held on September 23, ahead of World Heart Day (September 29) addressed the escalating concern of cardiovascular diseases with eminent health experts, through the campaign "Treatment Zaroori Hai" by Meril. The experts shared detailed insights about the reason behind the growing incidences of heart diseases, advanced technology and innovative methods used in treating cardiovascular diseases, and how to improve patient outcomes.
In the discussion, Dr. Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and Fortis Healthcare Medical Council said, "The prevalence of heart disease in India is the highest in the world. So, it is very important for us to understand how to prevent heart disease," while delivering the keynote address. "Every individual has to be responsible for prevention of heart disease and to bring action through regulators and policy makers or even our families or any sphere which we are a part of," Dr Seth added.
Highlighting the objective of World Heart Day, Dr. Akhil Kumar Sharma, Prof. Department of Cardiology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow said, "World Heart Day, observed on September 29th, is a global initiative to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and promote heart health. Its importance lies in encouraging heart-healthy habits like exercise and a balanced diet, spreading knowledge about preventing heart disease early on, highlighting the increasing threat of heart disease, especially among young people, promoting education on risk factors like high blood pressure, stress, and smoking, empowering individuals to make informed lifestyle choices, supporting efforts to reduce healthcare costs through prevention, raising awareness about the latest advancements in heart disease management, and advocating for heart-friendly policies in workplaces and communities.”
Experts shared their experiences, opinions and their recommendations on how to lead a healthy life and take care of the heart. There is a need to create more awareness around heart health as the incidence of the disease has migrated to younger individuals, thus making it even more alarming and unpredictable. The doctors have urged to follow a healthy lifestyle.
"As Indians or South Asians we are already predisposed to heart diseases," said Dr Biswaranjan Jena, Senior Consultant & Interventional Cardiologist, Dr. Jena's Cardio Diabetes Centre & Aswini Hospital, Cuttack. "Our lifestyle is not suitable, as we are mostly following Western lifestyle. Now the demographics are changing with many adopting smoking and drinking habits hence youngsters are getting heart diseases as well," he added.
Dr. Kaushal Pandey, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai touched upon preventive care. "Prevention is so much better, cheaper and superior these days. If youngsters do 150 minutes of cardio in a week they can prevent heart diseases, this is not a lot of effort considering their health is at stake. My message to all is protect yourself by living a disciplined life,"
TOI Medithon also touched upon an important part of heart disease treatment which is advancement in technology. The integration of technological advancement and heart disease treatment is a saviour to mankind. Technology has not only made treatment easier, it has also shortened the recovery duration. “Technology has improvised cardiology to a great extent,” said Dr. Rajneesh Malhotra, Vice Chairman & Head- CTVS, Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi. “Modern techniques have revolutionized cardiac care. For example, minimally invasive methods now use smaller incisions thanks to innovations like robotic-assisted surgery and keyhole surgeries for Cardiac surgery, said Dr. Rajneesh Malhotra. "In conventional surgeries the patient recovery time was longer, but thanks to technology they can go back to work within a few weeks," he added.
Experts also spoke about TAVR and its impact on the future of heart valve treatment. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement or TAVR is an advanced treatment option for common heart valve diseases like aortic valve stenosis. "At present, TAVR remains an innovative, cutting-edge treatment that many patients remain unaware of. Yet the benefits are immense for those who need it and cannot avail of surgical means of treatment," said Dr. Jaspal Arneja, Chief Cardiologist & Director Cath Lab, Arneja Heart Institute, Nagpur.
You can watch TOI Medithon here
