The heart is the body's most durable organ. In a person's lifespan, the heart beats around three billion times without stopping. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart's function is hampered by a variety of reasons. The rise in heart failure cases necessitates the dissemination of accurate information in order to raise awareness of the dangers that come with the ever-increasing threat. If the condition is left untreated, the mortality rate ranges from thirty to fifty percent. Patients in India are ten years younger than the global average.
“Despite several advancements in early detection and multi-pronged care, heart failure remains a management concern. Patient counselling and adherence to the measures are critical to lowering morbidity, death, and, most importantly, enhancing quality of life. Covid -19 symptoms might be mistaken for heart failure, therefore it's crucial to distinguish between heart-related shortness of breath and lung involvement. In this case, biomarkers that can be tested with point-of-care blood testing are particularly valuable. The most widely used test for this is the NT-Pro BNP “- Dr. (Prof.) Upendra Kaul remarked.
It is critical to recognise that heart failure is not the end of life, and that various treatment options are available, according to the medical community. Reaching out to a health care practitioner for a healthy and longer life is the key to effectively resolving the problem. The Times of India's Beat Heart Failure programme, in collaboration with Novartis, aims to raise awareness about heart failure, its management, and treatment alternatives. Multiple panel talks with prominent doctors from India's best hospitals are being held as part of the project. A session like this was held with doctors from Batra Hospital in Delhi and their core team of cardiologists.
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Sr. Consultant, Cardiology, Prof. (Dr.) Upendra Kaul , Dr. Rajiv Bajaj, Cardiology Senior Consultant Dr. Nabajit Talukdar, Sr. Cardiology Consultant ,Dr. Nabajit commented that the heart is a fascinating organ. When the cells of the core are injured as a result of an inciting incident, they cannot be repaired. The loss of cells affects the heart's contraction and relaxation, resulting in heart failure, which shortens the patient's life and shortens their lifespan. Heart attacks, toxic injuries, myocarditis, and related comorbidities are all possible causes. However, the recent advent of novel medications to the therapy of heart failure has altered the disease's management.
The heart's job is to pump nutritious and oxygen-rich blood to all of the body's organs. Dr. Kaul explained that if the central pump of a house breaks down and is unable to lift the water to the tank, the residence's functionality suffers. Similarly, if the heart weakens and the blood is not effectively pumped, the organ's function begins to suffer. For example, if the brain does not receive enough oxygen, a person can have dizziness, memory loss, and possibly kidney damage. A liver issue may occur later in the patient's life.
According to the ejection fraction of the heart, there are two forms of heart failure. In layman's terms, ejection fraction refers to the amount of blood pumped by the heart. The term “low ejection fraction” refers to the amount of blood pumped by the heart during each contraction. It's a symptom of cardiomyopathy. Another type of heart failure occurs when the ejection fraction is preserved but the patient exhibits all of the symptoms of heart failure, such as those found in coronary artery disease. Doctors have a new difficulty in treating patients with preserved ejection fraction.
Cases of cardiac failure have always existed in India, according to Dr. Rajiv. However, thanks to the existence of dedicated institutions and concerted media efforts such as Beat Heart Failure, medical knowledge of the disease is gradually increasing. People have a tendency to disregard symptoms and begin dealing with problems in their daily lives. The heart is fatigued by the time a patient notices the signals. In a minute, a healthy heart can pump twenty litres of blood. Blood pumping to the heart slows to seven to eight litres per minute as the condition advances. When it drops below five litres per minute, it's a formula for a shorter life span and a dismal prognosis.
According to Dr. Kaul, heart failure can strike anyone at any age. He emphasised that individuals should be aware that symptoms appear gradually. When a person is diagnosed with heart failure at the age of sixty, it is already advanced heart failure. Despite aggressive treatment, the prognosis will be poor at this stage. The sickness had already started to develop several years before. The treatment should have begun as soon as the symptoms appeared. When treatment is started early, it has a significant positive impact on long-term health.
People with risk factors for heart disease, such as a family history of the condition or comorbidities like hypertension or diabetes, should not skip their yearly health screenings. BNP, or B-type natriuretic peptide, is a blood test produced by the ventricles that is particularly useful in assessing the prognosis of heart failure patients. When the heart can't pump as well as it should, BNP levels rise.
The patient should see a doctor if symptoms such as newly formed dyspnea that was not noticed previously or associated comorbidities are present. Preliminary studies aid in determining the reason and allowing treatment to begin sooner.
Breathlessness can be caused by anaemia, lung disease, heart disease, malnutrition, or excessive blood pressure. If the patient has acquired dyspnea as a result of heart failure, he or she is already in advanced stages.
Patients should inform their healthcare practitioner about any medications they are taking, according to Dr. Rajiv. Furthermore, avoiding self-medication and properly following doctors' directions are critical aspects of pharmaceutical success for preventing and controlling heart failure.
The goal of cardiologist diagnosis and assessment is to know and manage the dual objectives of knowing and managing. The patient's quality of life is determined by the stage of the disease and its source. An angiography or a PET scan is used to determine the organ's viability.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is suggested in patients with left bundle branch block, according to Dr. Nabajit (a delay or blockage to the left side of the heart). A pacemaker is used by CRT to help with the proper rhythm. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a device that is implanted in the chest to detect and stop arrhythmias, or abnormal heartbeats.
Heart failure clinics, according to doctors, are beneficial to heart failure management. A heart failure clinic, as the name implies, is a specialised unit comprising doctors, paramedics, nurses, physiotherapists, and counsellors dedicated to heart failure cases. Drug doses, lifestyle management, diet counselling, mental health assessment, and proper workouts are all part of the patient's care. The treatment is determined by the stage of the sickness, according to Dr. Kaul.
A healthy lifestyle is necessary for a happy heart. Patients should remember to keep track of their blood pressure, body weight, exercise, avoid smoking and alcohol, eat a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, and take their medications on time. People with comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, or obesity should watch their diet more closely. You should never miss a doctor's visit.
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