AKUH has organized over 100
"Signs, Symptoms and Care programmes in Karachi, which have
drawn over 24,000 people, as part of its societal commitments
to create awareness of early diagnosis and timely treatment.
Based on the success of these lectures and, in response to
the demand, a third programme was organized in Dubai and a
first in Abu Dhabi.
"Coronary artery disease
is the most common form of heart disease and is the leading
killer in the world. It is responsible for total of 15 million
deaths worldwide out of which 9 million deaths occur in developing
countries. Moreover, millions of victims remain alive yet
hopelessly crippled, " said
Dr. Ata-ur-Rehman Quraishi, Assistant Professor of
Cardiology at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH)
in Karachi. He was giving the presentation on "Heart Attack!
The Major Killer - Prevention and Treatment" at the 'Signs,
Symptoms and Care' a health awareness programme held on May
5, 2002 in Abu Dhabi.
"Coronary artery disease is caused by narrowing of the arteries
supplying blood to the heart. This narrowing is caused by
the deposition of cholesterol rich material in the blood vessels.
Formation of a clot on top of these blockages leads to heart
attack and 50% of patients who suffer heart attack do not
survive and in fact they do not even reach the hospital,"
said Dr. Quraishi.
There are multiple risk factors, which are responsible for
the formation of blockages in the arteries of the heart.
These include age, male gender, positive family history, diabetes
mellitus, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, smoking,
lack of exercise and obesity. These risk factors may be modified
to help in the prevention and control of disease.
"Coronary angiogram is the gold standard for the diagnosis
of coronary heart disease. It provides vital information
for planning management. It is a low risk procedure and overall
risk of major and minor complications is less than 0.5%.
Coronary angioplasty is a therapeutic procedure, which involves,
opening of the blockages with a balloon. It is not a surgery
and after opening the artery, metallic stents may be used,
which help in keeping the arteries patent. Now there are new
stents, which may reduce the re-stenosis rate (re-blockage)
to almost zero percent. These are drug-coated stents and a
two year follow up of these sirolimus coated stents have shown
a zero percent re-stenosis rate," explained Dr. Quraishi.
Dr. Shahid Ahmed Sami, Associate
Professor and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at AKUH said
that, "in patients with complicated multiple blockages or
where balloon angioplasty is not possible, coronary artery
bypass surgery offers excellent results. Bypass surgery not
only alleviates symptoms of angina but in some cases also
prolongs life."
"At AKUH we have been performing coronary angioplasty and
bypass surgery for the last seven years. We have a comprehensive
database for both these procedures and our outcome rate of
the complications are similar and comparable to centres
in the West," concluded Dr. Shahid Sami.
At the end of the programme
Dr. Ata-ur-Rehman Quraishi and Dr. Shahid Ahmed Sami responded
to questions from the audience.
The Chief Guest, H.E. Major
General (R) Salim Ullah, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan in UAE, commended the management of AKUH for being
a role model and a source of pride and inspiration for all
Pakistanis living in UAE. He said, AKUH is the first teaching
hospital in Pakistan and among one of the first few in the
world, who have received ISO 9002 certification.
With the opening
of AKUH Representative Office in Dubai, Mr. Amanullah Larik,
Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai, who was the chief guest
at the Signs, Symptoms and Care programme, said that this
office will provide patients and their families all the information
they need on how AKUH would help care for them and provide
the diagnosis and treatment they need.
Earlier, welcoming the guests,
Mr. Nadeem Mustafa Khan, Director General and Chief Executive
Officer, AKUH, said that AKUH is a philanthropic non-profit
institution committed to deliver quality health care to all
segments of society. This academic medical centre is a 654-bed
facility being sequentially phased into service. While at
present 496 beds are available and intend to increase the
number of beds in the coming years. AKUH has become a major
referral centre in Pakistan and is already attracting patients from
Middle East, Bangladesh and East Africa.
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