more-in Sri Ramachandra University’s Cardiac Care Centre has launched a heart failure registry. The aim of the registry is to evolve protocols and treatment guidelines for the Indian population. S. Thanikachalam, chairman of Cardiac Care Centre, said that globally the mean age for heart failure was 73 years but in India it was 53 years, with mortality as high as 50% for those with chronic heart failure. Also, while in developed countries the in-hospital mortality was 3.8% in India it was as high as 30.8%. Not only late referrals but also insufficient diagnosis of the condition could lead to heart failure in patients with a range of diseases. While Indian cardiologists had to factor in ageing population, they also have to contend with increasing prevalence of risk factors from non-communicable diseases and improved survival rate for myocardial infarction. Though the heart manages to cope with damage of excess load continued pressure on its muscles leads to a chain of events and ultimately manifests in heart failure, Dr. Thanikachalam explained. Sri Ramachandra Hospital has set up a full-fledged centre for treating the range of symptoms that could lead to heart failure. “The purpose is to identify hospital incidence of heart failure, and help improve quality of life,” the specialist said. Often, patients would recover sufficiently and return home but they would succumb to heart failure within a few months. While post-discharge around 8.6% of patients in the developed countries could succumb to heart failure within six months, in India it was higher at around 26.3%. “Patients do not believe us when we say their heart is weak,” said T.R. Muralidharan, clinical cardiologist. This is especially so among diabetics. Beware of symptoms Some clinical signs that cardiologists want patients to be aware of are fatigue, sudden awakening from sleep with breathlessness at night, breathing difficulty while doing usual work, Dr. Thanikachalam said. Anyone with heart problems could call the heart failure registry 044-23860531. The registry functions from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. Those unable to pay for the treatment can enrol for free treatment, Dr. Thanikachalam added.

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