Kathmandu, November 4

Nepal is facing big threat from cardiovascular diseases which is responsible for one in four deaths every year.

Given the exponential rise in heart patients, it is expected that by 2030 cardiovascular disease will account for 35 per cent of all deaths in the country, warned Dr Rajneesh Kapoor, senior director of Interventional Cardiology at Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon.

Dr Kapoor, an eminent interventional cardiologist worldwide, was in Kathmandu, Nepal for a workshop on complex cardiac procedures yesterday. Addressing mediapersons, Dr Kapoor said, “Not all people die of heart attack. There is a considerable proportion of patients who suffer from heart failure, a type of heart disease in which the heart cannot pump properly. The reasons: more people are surviving heart attacks and thus face higher heart-failure risk afterwards. Another key driver is ageing as this is a chronic condition that plagues the elderly. The rise in diabetes and obesity is also a trigger.”

He suggested, “In order to reduce the death rates in heart patients, we at Medanta have been and shall be the first to provide cardiac treatments with newer modern technologies.” According to him, the use of FFR tech prevents unnecessary stenting.

Another latest 21st-century technology called OCT assists in accurate placement of stents which means 100 per cent complete blood flow to the heart, hence increasing treatment efficiency by five times. It is also very useful in treating patients where bypass surgery is risky. Dr Kapoor said the use of miniaturing technology comes as a boon to heart failure patients.

Dr Kapoor further added, “Data shows that if the patient comes to us and they are short of breath and having symptoms, it’s already too late. Hence, in order to secure lives of heart patients, we are diligently working to provide health monitoring from homes, a step that saves the patient from giving repeat visits to the hospital and detect any symptom in advance. This will be life-saving especially for far distance patients.”

Dr Kapoor also issued an advisory for the prevention of heart disease. He appealed people to contribute as much as possible to curb atmospheric pollution and live the heart-friendly lifestyle, which incorporates high intake of fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, moderate drinking and eight hours of sleep, among other things.