Your heart is at bigger risk than ever before
Heart is engine of your body
Heart is main organ of our body, which works non-stop as long as we live that needs a delicate care but today’s lifestyle and eating have put it on innumerable risks all through the world and more so in our country where we have no proper awareness, education or facilities for treatment and cure for common people. The proper awareness can make a person suffering from heart disease better prepared in case of a heart attack if he gets proper treatment within time and chances of his survival increased.
A heart attack is caused by contraction of coronary arteries that causes sudden supply of blood to heart. Once the supply to heart is stopped, the cardiac muscles begin to die slowly in an hour or so causing damages to other parts of the heart in next few hours. Therefore providing a proper treatment of making blood supply regular immediately can save further damage to other parts of the heart. Since people in our country lack, the proper awareness and medical facilities especially related to heart are increasing at rapid rate.
Increasing number of heart related patients
The way the number of heart patients increasing in our country, there is a serious need of awareness programs because guys should have a check-up after 40 and female after 50 at a regular interval or earlier if they find symptoms of the disease earlier. Women are at lesser risk of heart related problems until the age of menopause because estrogen hormone helps them prevent heart problems. However, the need to be careful is must for women and diabetic patients as the symptoms of heart attacks are similar to gastric and carelessness diagnosis may prove fatal.
First three hours are crucial
The initial stage of heart patient considered most crucial since the patient who is taken to intensive care within three hours can survive further damage to heart making treatment lesser complicated and better chances of survival. The cardiac muscles damages are permanent and affect other functions of heart of patient for the rest of his life therefore an immediate attention is must for heart patients.
Symptoms
1- Sudden pain in the heart
2- Breathing problem
3- Excessive sweating
4- Symptoms of fatigue
5- Patients suffering from diabetes and women may not feel heart pain due to diabetic neuropathy in some cases. Women may feel indigestion and feeling of vomiting that could well be an indicator to have an immediate check-up.
Heart patients by birth
Some persons have heart related problems by birth called congenital heart disease normally can be detected at an early stage in some cases or a later stage although symptoms can be diagnosed at pregnancy level ultrasound tests.
Defects by birth
1- Two main arteries of heart, aorta and pulmonary not properly placed or not developed properly
2- Any of the chambers of heart out of four not properly developed or enlarged
3- Valves of the heart of children defected by birth or not developed properly
4- Septal defect is atrial septal defect caused by a hole in between the walls or walls not closing properly become the reason of impure blood (Blood without oxygen) mixing with pure blood (with oxygen) in the heart causing shortage of oxygen in different body parts especially in brain.
Symptoms of patients by birth
1- Main symptom of a heart problem in a child is breathing problem seen during his physical activities.
2- Development of brain and body below average compared to his age
3- Low intake or no intake of milk
4- Abnormal heart beat, weakness or palpitation
5- Body color turning blue suddenly, a sign of impure blood
Tests
There are different tests prescribed in such cases including ECG, Echocardiography, CT scan, coronary angiography, Doppler tests, Cardiac Catherization etc.
Treatments
1- Different operations are available for different defects at different age groups
2- Some of the operations are undertaken at a certain age only, by then the symptoms are controlled by administering medicines as per requirement of a particular case
3- A catheter (tube) treatment with different process through operation inserted to block the hole permanently.
Patients suffering from heart diseases should change their lifestyle to live a normal life. They may exercise as per the suggestion of their physician and should not smoke as smoking is one of the worst enemies of hear patients. Patents suffering from heart problems should give up excess fat and calories containing foods like deep-fried, sweets, red meat and bakery products but should go for whole grain, sprouted food, vegetables, fruits, fish containing omega-3 fatty acid and olive, soy refined oil in place of ghee etc.
Role of medicines in heart diseases
Role of angioplasty and bypass surgery is important in coronary-artery diseases but there is no denial of the significant of medicines in treatment of such defects especially, in initial stages the use of medicines works successfully in unblocking arteries.
The defects
There are three main coronary arteries RCA, LAD and LCA in the heart responsible for supply of blood with main artery known as LMCA (Left main coronary artery) if any of these arteries are blocked for any reasons, the person suffers a pain in the heart, angina due to blockage of blood supply to heart. In case of serious blockage and blood supply totally stopped, may cause a heart attack. The situation in such cases demands an immediate medical attention to restore supply of blood to heart failure of that may prove fatal.
Reasons of blockages
Basic reasons for blockages in coronary arteries consist of deposits of lipids a group of molecules of fats, sterols, vitamins, cholesterol triglyceride etc. and the function of lipids is storage of energy, platelets and blood clots. There are certain methods to remove the blockage as stated below-
1- Reducing cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood using Statins and Fiberates medicines can remove blockage caused by cholesterol and triglyceride fats that can keep symptoms under control.
2- Platelets are the cells responsible for clotting of blood, to keep blockage reduced due to excess clotting in heart arteries. The medicines used for the purpose contain aspirin, clopidogrel and other medicines prescribed to use orally or intravenous. The use of tirofiban a drug used for platelet treatment also GP2B, 3A inhibiter used for the purpose of dissolving clots and regulating blood circulation to keep a patient healthy.
3- Contraction of arteries can be regulated by use of coronary vasodilator- nitrates etc.
4- Medicines mentioned above are useful for treatment of brain, kidney, blocked veins in legs, hands etc also helps in saving from renal failure and heart strokes.
Please note-
That these medicines, which used for treatment of removing coronary arteries have no side effects but never consumed without a prescription of a proper physician.
Robot may perform a better surgery
With use of robotic surgery in heart diseases the procedure has changed to great extent because this is easier and safer way than orthodox way of bypass surgery where the heart is opened up to a foot long. Robotic surgery has made the process lesser painful and more accurate besides far lesser loss of blood because the cu is far too smaller than the conventional heart surgeries.
How they perform robotic surgery
Surgeons do not use surgical instruments but control it through console sitting in an adjacent computer room to operate the different arms of the robots as per the required movements. A surgeon can look at the spot of x10 bigger image than the actual organ in operation. The automated systems used in robotic surgery enhance the capacity to a greater level to enable him to conduct the surgery in perfect manner. The success rates in such cases are almost 100% with robotic precession to support. The robotic surgeons have three different instruments to control to perform the surgery namely, the console, which is the main equipment to control every activity of robotic arms installed at the surgery table and the viewing equipments those help surgeons to keep a watch on every activity.
If we compare the difference in between the two methods of surgeries, the robotic and minimal evasive way of surgery popularly known as MIS the robotics wins easily because of its no error technique. The surgeon in case of robotics surgery is better off as the chances of keeping a strict control are better in this surgery as there is no risk involved of sudden shake of a hand while performing the operation and the computers keep the chances at almost no risk level.
If we compare two methods of surgery at a glance-
• The patient comes back to his normal work schedule comparatively earlier.
• Almost no surgery marks on the chest
• Better results compared to orthodox process of surgeries
• Post surgery duration of stay in hospital far lesser than orthodox ways of surgery
• There is no need to cut chest bone for robotic surgery as in cases of bypass surgeries where to reach to the heart they need to cut bones and the length of cut is almost 11-12” in robotic surgeries they need a cut of a few cm only.
• Almost painless
• Need of another surgery in rare cases
• Not much of loss of blood therefore no need of blood in most cases.
• Chances of infection minimized so lesser post operations medicines
• Minimum risk of bad effects on patient’s body post surgery
Control your cholesterol
The level of cholesterol is increasing at a brisk rate mostly in urban people making them more at risk of heart related problems due to their life style. Most people do not know about cholesterol and its good and bad effects. The fact is that this wax like yellow substance produced in liver that looks like fat but it’s not fat that has an important role in working of arteries that reaches to our blood through a protein package. Cholesterol found in our body in bad form low-density lipo protein (LDP) and high-density lipo protein (HDP). These should be present in equal quantity to keep a balance on each other but when bad cholesterol LDP increased compared to HDP that deposit at the walls of arteries resulting in hardening the walls of arteries, resulting in lower supply of blood to heart.
Bad cholesterol is one of the main reasons of heart problems, other problems making their effects are obesity, irregular routine excess of junk food, salt, sugar, fats. To keep away from heart related problems one must stay away from known reasons those cause the problems and should know the family history to fight the problem more effectively. This is not necessary that if a product is with low cholesterol content that makes it safe to eat but if it contains high saturated fat it makes it comparatively more dangerous.
There are certain measures which can help you
Smoking is dangerous
There is no alternative of quitting if you are a smoker because smoking can reduce life 5-10 minutes per cigarette or more in case of a heart patient. And if you are smoke 20-25 cigarettes a day, you are at risk of at least 10% of reduced life span and more at risk of heart diseases by three times than normal persons who do not smoke. You are still at risk of if you are exposed to second hand smoking because exposure to passive smoking are at as much risk as smokers themselves. You should avoid the company of such persons or strictly stop them from smoking.
Your waist is indicator
As the old saying goes, your waistline is indicator of your fat level. You should watch your weight to cut out fat deposit in your blood. An overweight person is more at risk of heart diseases than a person in normal weight range, watch out what you eat.
Your Blood Pressure is important
If you have blood pressure above the normal limits, you are at more risk of heart problem. Blood pressure is signal of heart disease at a later stage or you might already be suffering from it. You must keep blood pressures within the prescribed limits because high blood pressures put your heart on extra burden of pumping more blood at abnormal rate.
If you work over time
You should work according to prescribed limits and your capacity, working over time may prove harmful for your heart because the depression caused by extra working hours and not finding enough time for exercise and proper food increases the risk of heart related diseases by 40-80% according to extra time worked. Therefore, this is not healthy for your heart to work extra just for the sake of a little extra money..
Salt as little as possible
Salt is an important factor that causes hypertension that ultimately results in heart related diseases therefore reducing the quantity of salt from your diet plan is like reducing the risk of heart related problems. Also, see the level of sodium in your other food intake is as low as possible.
Your drinking habits
Although drinking in moderation is not as harmful but this may increase weight and can damage your heart, therefore quit the habit or drink as less as possible.
Ways to avoid heart related problems
The most heart related problems are associated with your lifestyle. If you follow the golden rule of Mother Nature that says that if you walk at brisk pace in the morning for half an hour, exercise as per your capacity, eat according to dieticians and keep control on your weight, there is every chance that you shall never suffer from any heart related diseases.
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