“Inhaling polluted air is nothing but urban smoking, and is as bad as smoking. The incidence of heart attacks is three to five times more in smokers than in non-smokers,” said Ajit Mullasari S., director of cardiology, The Madras Medical Mission, Chennai.
He was speaking at press meet to announce the launch of STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) India programme for Karnataka, aimed at speedy diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients in rural areas. Dr. Mullasari attributed the increasing incidents of heart attack among the young to urbanisation and rising pollution levels in cities.
Major player
While treatment for heart attack is one of the most challenging emergencies for a doctor, if it is treated promptly and appropriately, it can result in significant reduction in death and disability, said Thomas Alexander, head of the department of cardiology at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital.
The State-run Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences will be a major player in developing the heart attack management programme for Karnataka under STEMI. Institute director C.N. Manjunath said the programme will initially take off in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Kalaburagi districts. The programme has been running successfully in Tamil Nadu for the last three years, and was started in Telangana last year, Dr. Manjunath said, adding that it would be rolled out in Karnataka in the next two months.
To train doctors to manage heart attacks and help hospitals develop ‘Heart attack teams’ to efficiently manage high-risk patients, STEMI India is conducting a two-day training programme in the city from Saturday.
Lifesaver
Once the project begins, any patient in a taluk hospital or primary health centre, who needs to undergo an angioplasty and has to be referred to a higher centre, will be diagnosed through a STEMI India device (that includes an ECG machine with a monitor) at the hospital itself. “The patient will then be provided medical treatment with thrombolytic therapy, following which angioplasty can be performed in the next 24 hours. Otherwise, during a heart attack, angioplasty should be performed within the first six hours,” Dr. Manjunath explained.
“Through the thrombolytic therapy, the patient can actually buy time of 24 hours. The patient’s diagnosis data will be transmitted through telemedicine to a higher centre, where he will be referred for angioplasty. This will save several lives,” the doctor said.
General practitioners and doctors in taluk hospitals and primary health centres will be trained to diagnose cases.
