With changing lifestyle and other socio-economic factors, there is a rapid increase in the number of patients with ischemic heart disease. Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) or commonly known as heart attack, is one of the leading deadly diseases in developing countries like India. Over 20% of the population, especially in the age bracket of 40-50 years, is developing several cardiac ailments that ultimately lead to heart failure.

In order to highlight the importance and ways to prevent such ailments and of timely treatment, North India’s leading service provider for cardiac ailments, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI), Okhla in association with Sapphire Hospital organized a mass awareness and interaction session by presenting various complex cases which were successfully treated.

Dr. Sumit Aggarwal shared his experience. He presented a case where heart function had gone down to even 25% due to heart disease which was untreated although the patient has been suffering from last 7months. Due to good efforts of him, his heart condition was diagnosed and his technically challenging bypass surgery was done by Dr. Ramji Mehrotra.

“The patient’s heart function has now improved to an almost normal level. This signifies the good team efforts of doctors.” Added Dr. Ramji Mehrotra.

Similar cases have been treated where the patients had suffered from dual heart attacks (simultaneous double vessel acute myocardial infarction).

Cases of dual infarctions are extremely rare and usually have very poor clinical outcomes as the management of this condition is highly challenging and time-restricted.

“The myth that heart ailments and heart failure only affect the geriatric population and are limited to metro cities is gradually falling apart. These afflictions affect the functioning of the heart in the young, middle-aged and elderly population alike. Doctors have recorded a rise in the number of patients suffering from varied cardiac-related conditions especially in the tier 2and tier 3 cities all over India.

The increasing stress of modern life has exposed even younger people to the risk of heart diseases. While a person’s genetic disposition and family history remain the most common and uncontrollable risk factors, majority of heart diseases in the younger generation is due to excessive stress and long working hours coupled with erratic sleep patterns, which cause inflammation and increase the risk of heart disease. Smoking and a sedentary lifestyle further accelerate the risk symptoms in people in the age group of 20 to 30 years. To sort out such issues timely preventive health check-ups are a must at regular intervals.

Creating awareness among the masses about the advancements can save many lives. Advancements in the field of cardiac sciences have been a boon to patients with an end-stage heart problem. The only and the easiest way to prevent heart failure are avoiding the lifestyle and food habits that encourage obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure. Added Dr. S. C. Agrawal, Director, Sapphire Hospital, Agra.