Decline in heart attack death rate in Qatar: HMC

An official at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)'s Heart Hospital has disclosed that the mortality rate from acute myocardial infarction in Qatar decreased by 2% during 2021.Dr Nidal Asaad, medical director of the Heart Hospital and senior consultant of Cardiac Catheterisation and Electrophysiology, was speaking at the first Cardiac Catheterisation Day to mark the 40th anniversary of the introduction of cardiac catheterisation at HMC.He also said the number of cardiac catheterisation procedures performed at the Heart Hospital increased by 50% over the last five years.

Dr Abdulrahman Arabi

“Thanks to our highly qualified medical teams and the continued development and improvement of equipment and technologies at the Heart Hospital, the mortality rate from acute myocardial infarction decreased by 2% during 2021. This is comparable to the same rates at the best hospitals in the world,” Dr Asaad said.The Cardiac Catheterisation Day was aimed at acknowledging the work and achievements of medical teams at the facility, as well as highlighting the world-class services provided at the hospital. At the event, Dr Hajar Ahmed Hajar al-Binali, consultant cardiologist, provided an overview of the history of the Cardiac Catheterisation Department since its inception and highlighted the development of the department and its services as well as the leading-edge technology and treatments available at the Heart Hospital, which are comparable to the best hospitals across the world. “The Heart Hospital performs over 4,500 therapeutic and diagnostic catheterisation procedures annually, including 1,100 emergency cardiac catheterisation procedures for critical and urgent cases that require rapid intervention from our highly experienced and well-equipped team,” Dr Asaad said. “These cases are brought to the Heart Hospital’s Emergency Department by the Ambulance Service and the necessary interventions are performed rapidly for these cases within 45 minutes, which is much less than the internationally approved standard of 90 minutes. The Heart Hospital also provides cardiac catheterisation services for cases transferred from the cardiology departments at Al Khor, Al Wakra and Hazm Mebaireek hospitals.” Dr Asaad noted the Cardiac Catheterisation Department had overseen the introduction of state-of-the-art technology and treatments including Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation technology and the treatment of mitral valve leakage through catheterisation, which was previously done through surgical intervention.Dr Abdulrahman Arabi, deputy chair of Cardiology for Clinical Affairs and director of the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at Heart Hospital, said the facility applies the highest international standards despite the large number of cases it receives compared to other cardiology hospitals. “Our high-quality care is achieved not only because we have a state-of-the-art facility but more importantly because we have highly trained and experienced staff,” said Dr Arabi. “Due to the concerted efforts and collaboration between Heart Hospital departments and the rest of HMC facilities and services, the waiting time for cardiac catheterisation for non-urgent cases has decreased from eight months to four weeks over the last four years."Urgent cases that require rapid intervention through cardiac catheterisation include cases of myocardial infarction and cases of acute coronary thrombosis that require rapid intervention to reopen the artery and restore blood flow.Myocardial infarction is a serious type of heart attack that occurs as a result of a blockage of one of the main arteries in the heart. Cardiac catheterisation procedures are performed to widen blood vessels that are closed due to buildups on the wall of the artery. After the procedure, the patient is normally required to stay in the hospital for three to five days before they are discharged home.“Myocardial infarction is one of the most serious heart conditions. The moment a heart attack is suspected, paramedics perform an electrocardiogram for the patient at his location, whether at home, in the office or elsewhere. The electrocardiogram (ECG) device is directly connected to the system at the Heart Hospital and if the case is confirmed, the catheterisation laboratory team is informed so they can proceed with the catheterisation procedure immediately once the patient arrives,” said Dr Arabi.