While announcing opening of a Heart Rhythm and Pacemaker Clinic at Star Hospital, Rawalpora Colony here, Fortis Hospital Mohali, Punjab, Wednesday said that heart rhythm has become second killer disease after Cancer.
Addressing media persons here, Dr Rajat Sharma, Cardiac Electro physiologist at Fortis Hospital Mohali said that the OPD would be organized every month to treat the patients. “The Clinic, which will be functional every third Wednesday, will cater to patients with various heart rhythm disorders and those with Pacemakers or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD),” Dr Sharma said.
He said after the dreaded Cancer, these disorders kill the maximum people in the world every year. “Millions of people around the world are suffering from these disorders, which remain potentially undiagnosed or untreated, even though these diseases have attained the status of number two killer disease globally. Therefore, it is important to identify the symptoms early on and avoid sudden cardiac death,” he said.
He said there is a lot of confusion regarding the difference between common heart attack and heart rhythm disorders.
Elaborating, he said, “A conventional heart attack results from the clogging of the arteries in the heart, which can be handled by opening them up by angiography and stenting by the interventional cardiologists. On the other hand, heart rhythm disorders result from abnormalities or short-circuiting in the electrical system of the heart”.
“Cardiac electrophysiology is the most complex and advanced branch of Cardiology, which deals with these electrical abnormalities of the heart and highly trained specialists specialize in managing these ailments of the heart,” he added.
He said that a fast or slow heartbeat can be very dangerous, adding: “Each heart has its own normal rhythm that begins in the heart’s natural ‘pacemaker’ or the sinus node. An abnormally fast heart rhythm, or tachycardia, can result from very fast electrical activities or short-circuiting in the electrical circuit of the heart”.
“Another common form of heart rhythm disorder is Atrial Fibrillation, which is causing many deaths worldwide. If somebody is suffering from this disorder, he will feel palpitations, fatigue, and can even suffer from heart failure in the long run. This also increases the chances of stroke,” he informed.
He said that it is of paramount importance to consult cardiac rhythm specialist or the cardiac electrophysiologist for an assessment of skipped beats. “One can ascertain the exact nature of heart rhythm abnormality and its possible implications through different electrophysiological tests,” he said.
REFERENCE:
Jun 16 2016.Heart Rhythm second killer disease after Cancer: Dr Sharma.Greater Kashmir.retrieved from
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/health/heart-rhythm-second-killer-disease-after-cancer-dr-sharma/220516.html
