Common Heart Diseases include:
- Coronary Artery Disease - Coronary artery disease is the build-up of plaque (cholesterol + blood cells + calcium) in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. When plaque builds up in the arteries, they become stiff and narrow. The common symptom is angina or chest pain. The plaque could break off, leading to heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac death.
Angina is chest pain with aching, fullness, heaviness, numbness, pressure, squeezing etc.
Other symptoms of CAD include - faster heartbeat, nausea, palpitations, shortness of breath, tiredness, sweating, weakness or dizziness.
- Rheumatic Heart Disease - Rheumatic Heart Disease is a condition in which the heart valves have been permanently damaged by Rheumatic Fever (due to damage by repeated episodes of Group A streptococcal throat infection). Rheumatic heart disease is the most
commonly acquired heart disease in people under age 25. Valves get narrowed or leaky, and patients develop heart failure or stroke due to irregular heartbeat.
Once the damage to heart valves is permanent, patient requires surgery for repair or replacement of the valves.
- Hypertensive Heart Disease - Hypertensive heart disease refers to heart conditions caused by high blood pressure - including heart failure, thickening of the heart muscle (Left Ventricular Hypertrophy), Coronary Artery Disease etc.
- Ischemic Heart Disease - This occurs due to narrowing of arteries supplying blood to the heart, leading to less oxygen reaching the heart muscle. This often causes angina or chest pain. An exercise stress test like Treadmill Test (TMT) or Coronary Angiogram are often used to diagnose this condition.
- Inflammatory Heart Disease - This includes -
- Myocarditis (Inflammation of heart muscle)
- Pericarditis (Inflammation of membrane around the heart)
- Endocarditis (Inflammation of inner lining of heart & heart valves)
Common causes include viral or bacterial infections & other medical conditions.
- Heart Block - Heart block affects the electrical system of the heart. The heart beats irregularly & slowly. This damage to the electrical impulses usually results from damage to the heart muscle. Heart block makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood properly through the body. It causes light-headedness, fainting and palpitations. ECG, Holter (24 hour ECG), Echocardiography & Electrophysiological tests are used to diagnose heart block. The treatment modalities include medication and permanent pacemaker insertion.
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
A heart attack or myocardial infarction is a medical emergency, and occurs due to blockage of blood flow to the heart due to plaque and blood clot. The interrupted blood flow can damage or destroy part of the heart muscle.
Common symptoms include – Pressure, tightness, pain or squeezing sensation in the chest & arms, which may spread to the neck, jaw & back, shortness of breath, fatigue, sweating, light-headedness, sudden giddiness, nausea, etc
Symptoms include fluttering sensation, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, sweating, fainting etc.
2 types of MI :-
- Complete Blockage - STEMI - It requires urgent thrombolysis (dissolving the blood clot) followed by coronary angiography & angioplasty (Stent) or primary angioplasty, depending upon the patient’s condition & supporting clinical findings.
- Partial Blockage - NSTEMI
- Angina : It is a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.
Angina Pectoris (Stable Angina): Due to partial blockage of one or more of the arteries of
the heart. It is described as uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the centre of the chest. This may also occur in the neck, jaw, shoulder, back or arms.
Effort angina : Chest pain and physical exertion caused due to supply – demand mismatch.
- Arrhythmias - Irregular heart beat rate, either too slow or too fast, which occurs due to faulty electrical signaling.
Types of tachycardia (fast heart rate) -
- Atrial fibrillation
- Atrial flutter
- Supraventricular tachycardia
- Ventricular fibrillation
- Ventricular tachycardia
Types of bradycardias (slow heart rate) -
- Sick sinus syndrome, Complete heart block
- Conduction block
- Heart Valve Disease – Narrowing or Leakage - One or more of the heart valves do not work properly, i.e. they don’t open or close properly. This can cause disruption of blood flow through the valve. Treatment depends on the valves affected and severity of the disease, and requires repair or replacement of the valves.
- Heart Failure - Heart failure means the heart muscle doesn’t pump blood normally. Blood flow often backs up and fluid can build up in the lungs, causing shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in feet, rapid or irregular heartbeat etc.
- Congenital heart diseases - Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
These are certain problems with the heart’s structure that exist since birth. Common problems include Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).
Signs in newborns include – Rapid breathing, Cyanosis (bluish tint to skin, lips & fingernails), Difficulty in feeding etc. Treatment may include medicines or closure of the defect, depending upon the size, portion of membrane affected, patient’s age & symptoms.
Management
A thin flexible tube (catheter) is guided through a blood vessel to the heart. Recovery time is very quick, there is very minimal bleeding and there is a low risk of complications.
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Angiography : Angiography is an X-ray test using a special dye, which helps locate the blockage / narrowing of blood vessels. It may be done for coronary vessels, or for cerebral, renal or peripheral vessels.
- Angioplasty: Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure to widen the narrowed arteries. A balloon is first used at the site to first remove the blockage, followed by stent placement. Stent is a small metallic mesh-like spring which prevents vessel recoil.
- Permanent Pacemaker Implantation: Pacemaker is a small device placed in the chest to help control abnormal heart rates using low energy electric pulses.
Our procedures are done on our ultra-modern Innvolution Pinnacle Cath Lab.
Invasive cardiac services done with the support of our Innvolution Pinnacle Cath Lab include :
- Angiography
- Angioplasty (Stent/PTCA)
- Primary PCI (Angioplasty)
- Coronary/Cerebral/Renal/Peripheral Angiography & Angioplasty
- Permanent Pacemaker Implantation
- Congenital Heart Disease management – ASD, VSD, PDA Device closure
- PTMC/BMV for Mitral Valve Stenosis.
Non-invasive cardiac procedures include – ECG, ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, TMT, Holter, Intra-arterial BP Monitoring, Temporary Pacemaker Implantation, Prosthetic heart valve evaluation and management, blood investigations like Trop-T (released in circulation by heart after suffering an attack when ECG/ECHO fails to pick up), CK-MB, D-Dimer, NT ProBNP (Failing heart releases this, so cause of breathlessness, whether due to heart or lungs can be found out), Lipoprotein-(a) & Homocysteine evaluation (Heart attack in comparatively young age), Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Failure, Arrhythmia management.
Our mission is to save every life and to break the chain of medical tourism that has been plaguing the Magadh region for so long, ensuring that life-saving interventions are provided to the patients in time.