One in four Indians dies from heart disease

A cardiologist from a top ranked US hospital recently visited India to meet with the country's leading doctors to discuss the complexities causing one in four Indians to die from cardiovascular disease, as well as innovative emergency treatment approaches to reverse the trend.

Heart disease is the nation's leading cause of mortality. Research from the American Heart Association shows Indians are continuing to die from heart disease at an alarming rate, but, more worryingly, also at very early ages - almost a decade younger than Europeans. Furthermore, India's heart disease sufferers are presenting increasingly complex cases.

"This research confirms that there has been an explosion of heart disease in modern India," said Umesh N. Khot, MD of Cleveland Clinic's internationally-renowned Heart & Vascular Institute - America's #1 ranked heart care facility - while visiting the country recently to meet with its top cardiologists.

"Heart disease cases in India are often complex, and I want to collaborate with the country's very best doctors who are treating these patients. Cleveland Clinic doctors are at the forefront of innovation in medicine, precisely because we are always collaborating with other doctors around the world," Khot said.

Nearly 300 patients have traveled from India to Cleveland Clinic's U.S. main campus since 2014 to seek treatment for the most complex cases. In addition, Cleveland Clinic provides unparalleled "second opinion" services to Indian patients, and, in doing so, helps India's physicians shoulder the immense burden of treating increasing numbers of very difficult cases.

Through a sophisticated network of "liaison points", Cleveland Clinic supports the diverse needs of patients, medical professionals, and healthcare organizations from around the world.

Cleveland Clinic recently finalized plans to provide such liaison services to patients in India who are seeking treatment from Cleveland Clinic specialists outside of India, and is proud to have joined forces with Mr. Rajinder Gupta, Trident Group Chairman, Cabinet Minister on the Punjab State Planning Board, and member of the Cleveland Clinic International Leadership Board, in this regard.

Gupta said: "Cardiovascular disease in India can best be combated through prevention, early detection, and treatment with the use of both conventional and innovative techniques. India boasts some of the world's very best physicians, but, with such a high incidence of cardiovascular disease in the country, there are often complex cases which are best handled in collaboration with hospitals outside the country, such as Cleveland Clinic, which is known for innovation in the world's latest medical techniques."

Gupta has a vision of connecting Indian patients and the medical community with Cleveland Clinic's world-class facilities outside India. His efforts not only reflect an interest in India and his commitment to the larger cause of improving access to comprehensive, quality health care services for its people, but also his dedication to Cleveland Clinic's core values and mission.

On his visit to India, Khot addressed a gathering of doctors at a STEMI conference to urge them to introduce new processes to reduce the time between when people first begin to suffer a cardiac event and the time they are treated by a physician in a hospital, as recent research shows that patient outcomes are markedly improved with each minute saved. STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) is a very serious type of heart attack during which one of the heart's major arteries carrying oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked requiring a "balloon" angioplasty treatment to open the blocked passage way.

Source: Khaleej Times