Young Indians are highly vulnerable to cardiac ailments: Here’s why

While various heart ailments annually account for at least 50% of the overall comorbidities and even premature deaths in India and there has been a significant rise in the number of people in the age bracket of 25-40 years being susceptible to heart ailments, according to a press release issued by Max Hospital, Saket.

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In India, it has been estimated that one in every four deaths is attributed to ignorance of the mild symptoms and is one of the leading causes of mortality among both males and females (between 25-35 years). Asymptomatic heart attacks usually show symptoms in the early 20s and 30s which becomes fatal around the age of 40 years, and hence timely intervention can help in such circumstances.

Similar was the case of a 26-year-old, young male patient from Guwahati, who was admitted after two episodes of unconsciousness where he had blacked out. With no proper understanding of the reason behind it, after EEG and MRI, a complete cardiac workup was performed. He was diagnosed with a rare condition known as long QT syndrome, which is a heart rhythm disorder potentially causing fast and chaotic heartbeats that trigger sudden faint.

“While sudden cardiac death is catastrophic, it is not so uncommon, patient Ranjeev Dutta, was timely diagnosed and treated. Since the detailed exploration of the family history also revealed that his father had died suddenly at the age of 36 years. Several reasons have been listed as a cause of sudden cardiac death including genetic diseases, coronary artery blockages, and cardiomyopathies. In this patient we used implantable defibrillators along with medications; surely this regimen will prevent sudden cardiac death in this young patient.” Said Dr Balbir Singh, Chairman, Cardiac Sciences, Max Hospital, Saket.

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Sudden cardiac death is a medical emergency due to unexpected loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness. Sudden cardiac death usually results from an electrical disturbance in the heart that interferes with its pumping action, stopping blood flow to the rest of the body, usually causing death if not treated within minutes.

With fast, appropriate medical care, survival is possible. Rapid treatment with a defibrillator and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, swift & appropriate medical care, survival is possible. A defibrillator is a device that sends an electric shock to the heart to try to restore its normal rhythm.

Recently, Dr Balbir Singh and his team became the first in North India to have implanted the world’s smallest pacemaker, Micra AV. The device, the latest in pacemaker technology is yet another revolutionary reform made in this field, is the smallest pacemaker in the world with a battery life of 15 years, weighing a mere 15 grams and has dual chamber capabilities. To date, it has been implanted only in two other hospitals across India. Doctors worldwide are claiming that the real-world use of Micra has shown a 63% reduction in major complications compared to traditional pacemakers. In comparison to the traditional pacemakers, the Micra AV is MRI compatible and there are no leads attached.

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Micra AV involves placing it in the heart via vein in the leg thereby eliminating the need foran incision in the chest and any possibility of infection. “Some other big advantages of the Micra AV implant, over its ontemporaries, are that the device has several additional internal atrial sensing algorithms which detect cardiac movement, allowing the device to adjust pacing in the lower ventricles to coordinate with the upper atriums, providing ‘AV synchronous’ pacing therapy to patients.

It is completely self-contained within the heart, thereby eliminating any potential medical complications arising from a chest incision and wires running from a conventional pacemaker into the heart. For most patients, the Micra design has translated into fewer medical complications and fewer post-implant activity restrictions”, he added.

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Valvular heart complications are another life-threatening complications, where valve replacement remains the last resort. But with recent advancements, catheter-based procedures of Mitra clip can help in repairing the leaking heart valves without surgery. Such cases, if left untreated can lead to enlarged heart, breathlessness and even heart failures. Till now, open heart surgery with repair or replacement of the valve had been the only possible treatment for such patients in India but it is often high risk and may not be beneficial.

“The MitraClip is a novel catheter-based non-surgical repair of the mitral valve inside the heart and is performed in the Cath Lab like angioplasty where special catheters are inserted through the large vein in the groin and the catheter is passed from the right chamber of the heart to the left chamber of the heart by puncturing the partition called the interatrial septum. Then under echocardiography and X-ray guidance, a clip is put on the leaking mitral valve to decrease the leak which improves the condition of patient. The patient is normally ready to be discharged in 24-48 hours”, added Dr Balbir.

With such technology available, there is a dire need to raise awareness among the masses to, first of all, adapt to a heart-healthy lifestyle and not to hesitate or delay any of the symptoms, since timely intervention can not only save lives but also improve the quality of life.

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