Timely intervention significantly helps reduce heart attack deaths in Qatar

Timely interventions of specialists at the Heart Hospital has helped in reducing the deaths due to heart attack from 5% to around 1%, a senior official from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) said. "The number of heart attack cases increased in Qatar in the past five years, which led to the number of diagnostic and interventional cardiac catherisation at the Heart Hospital to reach 9,000 cases in 2023 bringing the death rate from heart attack down significantly,” explained Dr Nidal Asaad, CEO and medical director of Heart Hospital, HMC.The Heart Hospital, in collaboration with Hamad International Training Centre (HITC) and Kulluna for Healthy Heart, has hosted 10 days of activities at Place Vendome, Heart Hospital, Al Khor Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Hazm Mubairek General Hospital and the Communicable Disease Center to highlight World Heart Day, under the theme: "Knowing about heart disease, can protect your heart. Healthy heart is the key to healthy life.”The World Heart Day campaign was aimed at raising awareness on the importance of preventing heart diseases as well as offer education on the risk factors associated with them. The event featured a 1km walkathon at Place Vendome, questions and answers games, presentations, rewards offer, vital signs checking, as well as smoking cessation advice and consultation.There were also different activities to motivate and encourage the public to make lifestyle changes to protect themselves from heart disease such as an awareness booth to offer information to patients, staff and the general community about basic life support, importance of diets, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiology and pharmacy.Dr Asaad continued : "Most CVDs can be prevented by addressing behavioural risk such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, obesity, and control of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. When you know your numbers – blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, Body Mass Index (BMI), you can take action to better manage your health. Lifestyle changes can help us manage and prevent cardiovascular disease.”Dr Asaad said the Heart Hospital covers the full range of cardiology and CT surgical services at a tertiary care level in Qatar. Patients can benefit from several services provided by Heart Hospital such as interventional catheterisation, cardiac electrophysiology, valve and structural heart intervention, cardiac noninvasive services, cardiothoracic surgery, clinical imaging, laboratory, advanced heart failure care, inpatient and intensive care services with continuous monitoring, outpatient services and cardiac rehab,” he highlighted.Dr Khalid Abdulnoor, Kulluna chairman and HITC director added: "Regular health screening tests are very important in preventing the devastating effects of heart diseases. Conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage the heart and blood vessels. But if you don't get checked for these conditions, you likely won't know whether you have them. Regular screening tests can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action. This is what we are trying to ensure under our Kulluna for Healthy Heart campaign by offering free testing to members of the public.”