Heart disease tops the list of non-communicable diseases, which account for over 70% of all deaths in Guyana and the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) is working to raise awareness about the importance of early treatment and making lifestyle changes to reverse the trend.
“The [number] of persons with heart ailments is very, very alarming…we, from genetics and culture, are predisposed to these but that does not mean we can’t bring the numbers down… because with simple lifestyle changes, you would be amazed at the results,” says Interventional Cardiologist and Cardiac Electro-physiologist Dr Mahendra Carpen.
Dr Carpen heads the CHI, a private specialist heart facility located in the Georgetown Public Hospital’s compound, just east of the hospital’s pharmacy. In a tour of the facility and a sit down interview with Stabroek News, Dr Carpen discussed the growing health problem that he feels needs tackling now, for fear of worsening statistics and a burden on heath care in the country possibly leading to a cardiovascular disease pandemic in years to come.
Since the opening of the CHI in 2006, he said, the number of persons diagnosed with heart disease climbs every year.
Last month, Head of the Echocardiography Education Programme, Dr Debra Isaac, of the University of Calgary, Canada also expressed concern at the situation here, saying that after a short visit she had diagnosed a staggering amount of heart disease among Guyanese, and especially among young people.
“I see more heart abnormalities here in a period of a week than I would see in a couple of months at home…The heart disease I see here is heart disease I don’t see at home because it’s been caught earlier…. One of the things that really needs to be done and we are looking at and trying to develop is trying to look at more early recognition of problems …our goal now is to shift to early identification,” she had said.
At the time, Dr Isaac was speaking at the graduation of four local doctors in an eight-week programme carried out by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Canada and the Ministry of Health, which instructed them in identifying and analysing heart conditions using echocardiograms.
Carpen explained that Isaac’s findings are indeed alarming as most cases are from persons in their 40s and 50s. “Heart disease here seems to be affecting people in their most productive working years—40s and 50s. We are talking about people who should be looking forward to 25 years and more, instead they are suffering from heart disease and we have to do something about it,” he said.
He pointed out that genetics and environment play an important factor and bearing this in mind respective groups should work towards factoring these elements in the way they live. “Indians have smaller coronary arteries—we can’t change that—and are at higher risk for diabetes.
Persons of African descent are prone to high blood pressure [at an] earlier age, which can lead to complications, such [as] stroke, kidney disease and heart disease…but for most of our country, all roads lead to one direction so we have to do what’s necessary,” he said.
Dr Carpen feels that population healthcare can be controlled beginning with simple lifestyle changes.
“What we want is to make the public aware that they should not wait until they are in their 40s and 50s before having annual check-ups because we cannot disregard the importance of early detection…by the time a patient comes to us they have not had a check-up in years or none at all and have had two heart attacks already and [are] only 55,” the doctor said, noting that while genetics are a known cause, lifestyles are also contributing factors. “…We have become so motorised that most chores are done mechanically, people hardly walk anymore and the foods we eat… but the person eating the fast food is the person who doesn’t have time to cook and is rushing, so we are saying, ‘be careful of what you are buying…and get a primary care check if you are 40 and above. Go tomorrow and see if anything is wrong with you.
That way you control cost for the future and can live your best life yet,’” he added.
However, should patients need expert heart care they no longer have to schedule travel to other countries as the CHI is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and specialist doctors to diagnose and to treat, performing from Electrocardiogram tests to multiple coronary artery bypass surgeries.
Seeing over 40 patients every week, the CHI team of doctors Carpen, Haydock Wilson, Clement McClendon and ten specialist nurses with ICU support from GPHC’s Alexander Hagie and Marissa Seepersaud are confident they can meet the cardio care needs of patients.
The hospital does over 100 surgeries annually, with success rates greater than 98% and complications less than 2%. It can accommodate a maximum of eight persons who are given round the clock care and monitoring by the staff and support when discharged.
As a result, Dr Carpen asks patients to visit CHI before booking treatment overseas. “People don’t seek appropriate type care because they don’t know its there… our costs are a fraction say what they would pay in Trinidad and treatment and surgeries are second to none,” he said.
