Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 3
A very high percentage of cardiac patients in Nagaland reportedly require advanced cardiac diagnostic procedures which is done only in catheterization (Cath) lab for accurate diagnosis and management.
This was a conclusion in an overview of the heart-related disease in the State by Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR), based on 1020 registrations at its Cardiology Outpatient Department (OPD) services, which started in the beginning of 2021.
This is about 5.7% of the total new cases in Medicine OPD (OPD), which saw 17617 new registrations in 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it said. Out of 1020 total visits in Cardiology OPD, a little more than 50% were confirmed to be cardiac patients and about 11% of these have ischemic heart disease i.e. coronary artery disease; diseases affecting the blood vessels that supply the heart muscles.
Of the total patients with ischemic heart disease, 45% require acute coronary intervention like coronary artery stenting which requires an advanced catheterization (Cath) lab, the CHISR informed.
Again, total patients with heart diseases, 60% required some form of coronary evaluation (Coronary angiography) done in a Cath lab. “This is a very high percentage of cardiac patients requiring advanced cardiac diagnostic procedures (done in Cath labs) for accurate diagnosis and management,” it added.
Putting the issue in bigger perspective, it noted that from a single centre like CIHSR, at least about 330 patients needed referral to Guwahati or Shillong in a year for further cardiac evaluation because of lack of Cath lab services in the state.
About 50% of those with ischemic heart disease would either not survive or have their hearts damaged permanently with serious consequences because of lack early coronary intervention, the CIHSR maintained. “One in 4 deaths in India are now because of cardiovascular diseases with ischemic heart disease (cardiac blood vessel diseases) and stroke responsible for >80% of this burden,” it underscored.
Giving a rough conservative estimate, the CIHSR also opined that over 200 patients in and around Dimapur alone have “their hearts irreversibly damaged with no remedial measures because of lack of a Cath lab.”
These figure is conservative estimates based on a single health centre in the state (CIHSR), it said, wondering what would be the numbers if the entire state of Nagaland is considered.
Meanwhile, it informed that out of the over 1.27 billion estimated population of more in India, about 45 million people suffer from coronary artery disease.
India will soon have the highest number of cases of cardiovascular disease in the world and is estimated to account for 35.9% deaths by the year 2030, it said.
The ICMR 2018 has listed Cath lab facilities as an essential diagnostic facility at the district level.
