TThe awareness week aimed at promoting self-health awareness by encouraging regular check-ups, educating about the signs and symptoms of heart failure, providing information on diet and exercise, and stressing the importance of regular screenings. Heart failure is the condition in which heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s need and it can cause fluid to accumulate in lungs and legs causing cough, swelling of lower limbs and difficulty in breathing while lying down.

Dr Gurpreet S Wander, chief cardiologist-cum-coordinator of HDHI, emphasised the need of awareness and special counselling for heart patients. He praised the efforts of Dr Bishav Mohan for this initiative.

Along with HDHI, the campaign was also organised at five different hospitals across the state of Punjab, and Dr Bishav Mohan was the coordinator for the same.

Public lectures regarding the importance of diet, exercise and yoga were delivered by him. Dr Bishav Mohan emphasised that yoga had shown very positive effect on heart failure and the patients had benefitted enormously with routine yoga practice. He also highlighted various research projects being undertaken in the institute regarding heart failure. Lifestyle counselling to the heart patients and their attendants is being routinely provided by trained counsellors.

A training programme for nurses of the hospital was also conducted during the week.

Meanwhile, Dr Sandeep Chopra, a cardiologist and additional director, interventional cardiology from Fortis Hospital said, “Symptoms of a heart attack vary from person to person. Not all heart attacks begin with the sudden crushing chest pain that many people picture when they think of a heart attack. In fact, some heart attacks cause no symptoms at all.”

Act immediately

    • If you or someone you are with experiences chest discomfort or other symptoms of heart attack, call an ambulance right away.

 

    • Do not wait more than five minutes to make the call.

 

    • Emergency medical services personnel can begin treatment on the way to the hospital and are trained to revive a person if his/her heart stops

 

    • If you witness heart attack symptoms in someone and are unable to reach an ambulance, drive the person to the hospital.

 

    • If you are experiencing heart attack symptoms, do not drive yourself to the hospital unless you have no other choice.

 

    • Many people delay treatment because they doubt they really are having a heart attack. They don’t want to bother or worry their friends and family. But it is always better to be safe than sorry.

 

    • Acting quickly in response to heart attack symptoms can save lives. If given within an hour of the first heart attack symptoms, clot-busting and artery-opening medications can stop a heart attack, and having a catheterization with a stent put in may be life-saving

 

    • Waiting longer than 1-2 hours for treatment can increase damage to the heart and reduce the chances of survival.