Heart failure increasing in India, needs multidisciplinary treatment: Dr HK Bali

CHANDIGARH, July 9“:For the elderly heart patients, it was earlier difficult to save their lives by traditional method of angioplasty and where bypass surgery could not have been performed, but now, a new ray of hope has emerged for such patients as they can be safely treated by

performing precision angioplasty. With patients of poor heart function, doctors can now perform safer and protected angioplasty using latest technology of miniature heart pump (Impella)”, renowned interventional cardiologist and chief patron of the Heart Foundation, Dr HK Bali, said while concluding the two-day International conference on ‘latest advances and technology in managing patients of heart diseases’ on Sunday.

During the international conference ‘Cardiovascular Intervention Imaging Structural Therapeutics (CIIST) 360 degree’, which was organised by medical NGO ‘HEART Foundation’ in Chandigarh, over 300 eminent physicians and cardiologists from different parts of the world deliberated about the best and latest technologies to manage critically ill cardiac patients, including those suffering from—complex coronary artery disease, valvular heart diseases, heart failure and vascular diseases.

On the concluding day of the conference, Dr Bali, who is also Chairman of cardiac sciences Paras group of hospitals, further added, “Heart failure is growing at an alarming rate in India and has almost attained epidemic proportions. The estimated heart failure burden in India ranges from 1.3 million to 4.6 million cases per annum. There is also increase in patients who have critical coronary artery disease and multiple co-morbidities.”

While speaking at the press conference, Dr FlorimCuculi from Switzerland and Dr Giulio Guigliami from Italy said that NEERU imaging techniques like OCT and IVUS are now making complicated angioplasty procedures more efficient and giving better results. 

Also on the occasion, Dr SaibalKar from US and Dr Peter Andreka from France said that in patients with heart failure who have mitral regurgitation (leaking of mitral valve) and who are at high risk for surgery, percutaneous repair of the valve by MitraClip has come as a boon as it improves symptoms and prevents repeated hospitalisation.

The Indian and International cardiologists were unanimous in their opinion that transcutaneous aortic valve replacement is good treatment option for elderly patients with severe degenerative aortic stenosis especially in those who have increased risk of anaesthesia and open heart surgery.

The two-day conference organized various session, including ‘Global and Indian scenario on heart failure and challenges ahead’, ‘Devices in heart Failure-Indications, issues and limitations’, ‘Therapeutic updates on heart failure’ and others on medical treatment of heart failure with newer drugs and role of different types of pacemakers in heart failure.

During a session on ‘Manage of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF)‘, Dr Ajay Behl from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh also talked on latest advances in the medical management of heart failure. “We must treat such patients with medicines which improve survival. All the four pillars of treatment must be started early and used in optimum dose for maximum benefit”, Dr Behl said.

Dr AtulMathur (Delhi), Dr SaritaRoa (Indore), Dr PC Rath (Hyderabad) and Dr Vijay Chopra (Delhi), were among the other cardiologists who represented India in the International conference.