The Gift of Perspective: Four Years at Gleneagles and Beyond

This blog post has been long due—partly because life has become extremely hectic off late with work, family, and kids, and partly because of a lack of motivation to put those emotions into words… until life sent me on a forced short vacation—being admitted to the same hospital where I work, with an infection and its small complication (which could have gotten much worse).

Maybe it’s the beautiful Mumbai weather today, with light rain and the energetic Ganpati dhols playing below… maybe it’s the serene view of the Arabian Sea and the sailing ships from my room window… maybe it’s because I’m feeling emotional after so many colleagues personally came to wish me a speedy recovery over the last three days… maybe it’s because I’m overwhelmed with the firsthand experience of the extraordinary level of clinical care in the ward… or maybe it’s just the Meropenem and other drugs kicking in.

Whatever the reason, I didn’t want to miss the chance today to capture the flow of my thoughts—to be grateful for life, and thankful to God for everything.

I just completed four years with Gleneagles Hospital on 1st August this year. The move in 2021 was surely sudden and drastic—from a 24-bedded department with a team of 60, to a much smaller 6-bedded department and a team of 20. But it wasn’t a difficult decision, especially after spending many days in the ICU due to COVID and sepsis. Fast forward four years, and I realize it was all part of God’s bigger, more beautiful plan.

Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” And I still feel the same love for Emergency Medicine that I did 15 years ago. I may be confined to my room now as a patient, but I still wish I could go down to the A&E and be amidst the action—managing patients. Call it passion, call it craziness, or call it obsession!

Looking back, what a journey it has been with Gleneagles Hospital—having the independence to personally introduce so many new forms in the department and hospital, defining new SOPs, clinical protocols, audits, and quality parameters, building a new team every time medical officers left, raising the quality bar, conducting trainings, mentoring juniors, organizing CMEs, awareness talks, and workshops, arranging departmental treats, hospital meetings (often being very vocal and blunt, without sugarcoating), being part of committees, managing complex emergencies, upgrading to a bigger 10-bedded department, achieving NABH Emergency certification, NABH accreditation, JCI accreditation, NABH Stroke certification, fostering strong friendships with fellow consultants, enjoying parties, on-stage singing and guitar performances, winning sports events, increasing revenue—the list goes on, but all feels as fresh as if it happened yesterday.

I believe I’ve been successful so far in my constant quest to save and touch many lives. I sleep in peace every night, satisfied that I’ve put everything I learned over 15 years into my department and for my patients. (Sometimes while managing difficult emergencies, I almost feel like Neo from The Matrix—fighting Agent Smith in slow motion after realizing he is The One).

Looking forward to many more years of growing with this organization, treating my patients, learning, setting higher benchmarks—and maybe, just maybe, being a little less obsessed with work… until I resume soon.

Emergency Medicine – My Love, my passion & everything in between my Vows.

They say, “You have to be crazy to be a goalkeeper”. I say, “You have to be crazier to be an Emergency Physician!”

My interest in Emergency Medicine started very early, in the 2nd year of MBBS itself to be precise. The EMS & the Trauma centre at Sion hospital, Mumbai where it all started is among the best in the country, dealing with the entire spectrum of medical and surgical emergencies.

I still distinctly remember and smile, thinking about the time spent as a medical student / intern putting hundreds of IV lines, collecting blood samples, inserting Ryle’s tubes, Foley’s catheters, collecting ABGs, taking ECGs, accompanying trauma patients to CT scans, counseling patients, etc. Whenever I was free after daily lectures or while taking a break from the library, I would hang around in the EMS. I would look forward to the ‘Emerg-Double Emerg-and Triple Emerg’ where the unit in which you were posted had the call day for the weekend and the following weekday/s and you would end up continuously working 56-60 hours at a stretch in the EMS.

No matter how busy it got, the Doctors, nurses, the mamas and maushis, security continued to do their best – day after day.

Over time, I realized that being a government hospital, with the limited resources and the financial capability of most patients presenting there in the EMS, they were not being offered the best modality of treatment, nor was the treatment protocol based– Eg. There was no PAMI for an acute STEMI or thrombolysis for an Acute Stroke, no management of trauma patients as per ATLS protocol, procedural sedation, drug assisted intubation, etc.

At the same time, there was lack of communication skills, compassion, empathy & sympathy towards patients and their relatives by the resident doctors.

There were many instances during treatment by my peers which shook me and had a huge subconscious impact – seeing amputation of the hand being done under local anaesthesia with the patient howling in pain, pneumothorax while doing blind central lines, breaking multiple teeth while intubation, intubating awake patients with just a shot of Midazolam, patients requiring emergency surgery spending hours for an OT slot, etc to just name a few.

I had kind of made my mind then and there - the people deserve good Emergency care, which does not include only the medical aspect, but of the overall patient experience, satisfaction and quality in terms of ethical and affordable treatment, protocol based, supported by the latest equipment and cutting edge technology. I had vowed to practice ethically, not being money oriented, for the best interest of the people and provide them with the highest level of care. Not even once did I ever think of working abroad where it is possible to earn 4-5 times more money than in India, just because people here too deserve good emergency care.

Over the last 15 years, I have worked exclusively in the Emergency Departments of the top hospitals in the country, commissioned 4 Emergency Departments so far (seen them evolve over time into Centres of Excellence, and 2 of them receiving the coveted NABH Emergency certification), being actively involved in the teaching and training of young doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. And the journey has been satisfying. More so because I have seen myself grow and learn, everyday.

Even to this day, I remain excited and enthusiastic about going to work. I look forward to the patients I would be seeing in my department. A well managed resuscitation, a smooth intubation, emergency procedures, STEMI, strokes, and everything in the Emergency – THE DRAMA, THE TRAGEDY, THE WORK PRESSURE, THE STRESS & THE URGENCY still excites me like it used to 19 years ago and keeps me going.

If ever I feel low, there are 2 feedbacks that reverberate in my ears. One was by my security guard who after seeing the many post CPR ROSCs said, “Sir, aap toh murda ko bhi zinda kar dete ho” and the other by another hospital staff, “Sir, God forbid, kabhi mujhe ya mere kisi family wale ko kuch ho gaya, I wish you are present on duty in the emergency”.

My current focus is on developing Emergency Medicine as a specialization, providing world class-quality care to my patients and to train healthcare professionals of tomorrow – of integrity, passion, honesty and discipline.

I now have confidence in my Emergency department, our current protocols and policies, the excellent team of Consultants and staff at our hospital, that in a life and death situation, if we can’t save a life, nobody else can!

Emergency Trauma Management - Life In The Fast Lane.

A 17 year old boy is wheeled in to the Accident & Emergency Department after being run over by a truck. The patient is rapidly assessed, given essential life saving emergency care including blood transfusions and is immediately rushed in to the operation theater for a suspected pelvic (hip bone) fracture. Two weeks later, the patient is sent back home, alive and hearty - one of the many success stories where prompt emergency management saved a life.

So what does a person involved in a motor vehicle collision or a fall, a child who breaks a bone, and a physical assault victim should do? They all must seek emergency treatment for their trauma-related injuries.

Trauma refers to a bodily injury resulting from the application of an external physical force. It is the leading cause of death under the age of 45 years all over the world, with majority of victims being young males. Motor vehicle accidents are the major culprit of these types of fatalities; in children too under the age of 18, trauma is the leading cause of death above all other diseased conditions combined. Surprisingly, the number of years of life lost before the age of 65 due to trauma exceeds those lost from heart disease and cancer put together. There is a massive additional social burden from disability affecting survivors as well.

While the word may have a fairly simple and standard definition, when it comes to treatment of trauma patients, there is nothing uniform or standard about it. Traumatic injuries can range from minor isolated wounds to complex injuries involving multiple organ systems. The trauma can be blunt or penetrating - like a stab or a gun shot wound.

Majority of deaths occur either at the scene or within the first four hours after the patient reaches a trauma center. Relatively, fewer patients die after the first 24 hours have passed following the injury. Most preventable deaths are due to excessive blood loss.

Regardless of the cause or type of trauma, the ultimate goal of treatment is to minimize the disability and deaths associated with the injury. It involves reducing the deaths associated with the 2nd peak period which occurs in the hours shortly after the injury.

A systematic approach toward the trauma patient allows for rapid assessment and stabilization of the victim. This maximizes outcomes and reduces the risk of undiscovered injuries. Established protocols within an organization allow physicians to evaluate the patient in a logical, algorithmic (ATLS) manner and treat injuries in the order that has the greatest chance to prolong life and also minimizes long term consequences from the injury.

Global Hospital, Mumbai is a Level 1 trauma centre providing a multidisciplinary, extensive emergency medical service to trauma patients with the highest level of care, and is capable of offering definitive treatment for any type of injury.

Apart from an Accident & Emergency department which is manned by emergency physicians who specialise in this field of practice, it also boasts of availability of all surgical sub-specialties and advanced imaging capabilities. The hospital operates on a “team approach” whose staff includes emergency physicians, general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, reconstructive surgeons and anesthesiologists who are experts in treating trauma victims.

We also have a 24 hour functioning blood bank and a NABL accredited laboratory, apart from a 24X7 Radiology department for carrying out emergency X-rays, Ultrasound, CT scans and MRI. The hospital also has 24x7 operation theatres equipped to carry out all life and limb saving emergency surgeries.

With our comprehensive trauma care and emergency medical services, we are able to care for the most life threatening emergencies at a moment’s notice.

Be a Life Saver !

 

Sudden cardiac death from cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death worldwide. Cardiac arrest is defined as the cessation of cardiac activity as confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation.

Cardiac Arrest occurs suddenly, disrupting the blood flow to the brain and other parts of the body. With a cardiac arrest which is left untreated, irreversible brain damage occurs within 3-8 minutes and death rapidly follows. About 90 percent of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die.

Even in patients who are resuscitated (revived) from cardiac arrest, post-cardiac arrest brain injury is the main cause of death, and the main cause of long-term disability in those who survive the acute phase. This is attributed to the fact that even though the brain constitutes only 2% of body weight, it receives 15–20% of total blood volume pumped by the heart for its normal functioning.

Brain tissue viability strongly depends on consistent supply of oxygen and glucose, and cessation of blood flow to the brain results in an immediate interruption of brain activity, causing a hypoxic brain injury – similar to that of comedian Raju Shrivastava after suffering a heart attack.

A young 37 year old male was brought to Global Hospital Emergency last week with a history of sudden onset of chest pain 30 minutes prior to arrival, followed by unconsciousness. On arrival, the patient was gasping, there was no pulse, spontaneous breathing, or recordable blood pressure with pupils which were non-reactive to light – no signs of life – in cardiac arrest.

The team of experts immediately started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), his initial rhythm was a ventricular fibrillation and he was shocked immediately, intubated and all life-saving drugs were given as the medical team frantically tried to revive him.

After a gruesome 22 minutes, his heart started again, he was immediately rushed for an angioplasty as his ECG and bedside 2D Echo were suggestive of a massive heart attack.

Against all odds, this patient walked back home with no neuro-deficit. He was clinically dead for 22 minutes, but miraculously, doctors brought him back to life, a tale nothing short of a medical miracle.

Not everyone is lucky like that patient. Hence, bystander and first responder resuscitation become extremely crucial. CPR effectively keeps blood flowing and provides oxygen to the brain and other vital organs, giving the victim a better chance for a full recovery.

CPR saves lives! Get trained – You have the power to save a life.

Seize the golden moments after a heart attack.

The sudden death of singer KK today was a shocking news for music lovers and his fans across the world. What was even more shocking was that he showed the typical symptoms of a heart attack including sudden onset chest uneasiness and profuse sweating, which was not recognised in time. Off course he could have survived if the all important ' PAL - In the Golden Hours' would not have been wasted. Read on to find out more.

Heart Diseases are the number one killer in India. A Heart attack is caused when a clot completely blocks a blood vessel in the heart.

Worldwide, people fail to identify heart attack symptoms on time or seek appropriate medical help.

Post a heart attack, the heart muscle starts to die within 60-90 minutes after it stops getting blood, and within six hours, almost all the affected parts of the heart could be irreversibly damaged.

As a consequence of damaged heart muscles, either the heart can go into a sudden complete standstill, or into abnormal heart rhythms called “ventricular tachycardia” and “ventricular fibrillation” where the heart muscles contract at a rapid rate, without any active pumping of blood from the heart – called as a cardiac arrest. A person with a cardiac arrest will be unresponsive, will not be breathing and will not have a pulse.

Cardiac arrest occurs suddenly, disrupting the blood flow to the brain and other parts of the body. Lack of oxygen causes irreversible damage to vital organs, and within minutes, patients die.

Most patients don’t get another chance if heart attack is not treated in time.

The first hour of definitive medical care is called the “golden hour”. Nearly 47 % of deaths occur due to cardiac arrests during this period, even before an individual reaches the hospital. It is a window of opportunity to the patients, their families, and doctors to take appropriate and quick actions, thereby impacting a patient’s survival and quality of life following a heart attack.

Reaching a hospital, which has an in-house cardiac cath lab, within this Golden Hour period, provides emergency physicians and cardiologists ample time to perform ECGs, appropriate diagnostic tests and scans on the patient to ascertain the occurrence of heart attack and the extent of damage, and take necessary steps to reinstate proper blood flow to the heart immediately.

A person who reaches the hospital and gets treated within this period can expect near-complete recovery.

Hence, “Golden Hour” becomes “the game-changing event” in saving the life of the patient.

Note: Global Hospital, Mumbai provides multidisciplinary, extensive emergency medical services to all patients, with the highest level of care, and is capable of offering definitive treatment for any type of cardiac emergencies. We have a 24 hour functioning Cath lab, Operation theatres, blood bank, NABL accredited laboratory and Radiology department.

With our comprehensive emergency medical services, we are able to care for the most life threatening emergencies at a moment’s notice.

Pulmonary Embolism: Beware of a possible clot risk when binge- watching television

A young 20 year old patient was rushed to the Accident & Emergency Department of Global Hospital, Parel, Mumbai last week with complaints of sudden onset chest pain, profuse sweating, hypotension (low BP), Hypoxia (low Oxygen concentration).

Doctors were quick to make a bed side clinical diagnosis of a massive Pulmonary Embolism, a life threatening Emergency where a patient could have suddenly gone into cardiac arrest and died.

With clockwork precision, he was gives the definitive treatment in the Emergency itself, within 38 minutes of arrival, and by the time the medication infusion was over in 2 hours, he had stabilized completely - Chest pain gone, BP picked up, Oxygen levels up and he was much more comfortable.

Cause of this life threatening Emergency - Binge watching television.

Yes, it’s true! Binge-watching television, more than 4 hours a day, not only causes brain rot — it can also lead to blood clot, raising the risk of life-threatening blood clots in the legs or lungs by almost 35%.

Watching back to back episodes of your favorite web series online or too much screen time during work from home may have become be a fab these days, but binge watching of TV, which involves prolonged sitting in cramped positions for long periods of time, has been linked with an increased risk of developing a venous thromboembolism (VTE). This is a condition where a blood clot forms in a vein. It includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, which is when a clot travels to the lungs – which can be serious or even fatal.

DVT’s tend to form in the leg and are more likely to occur when you spend long time sitting down. When you’re sitting, the normal circulation of blood through the legs and feet is impaired
and slows down, so it is more likely to pool and start to clot. When you move your legs, the action of your calf muscles helps to squeeze the blood back up towards your heart. Some people do not know they have a DVT until the clot moves from their leg or arm and travels to their lungs.

Even individuals who regularly engage in physical activity should not ignore the potential harms of prolonged sedentary behavior such as TV viewing. Exercise can reduce the risk of death in relation to time spent sitting, but exercise doesn’t seem to reduce this risk as much in people who watch a lot of television. The increased risk could also be due to unhealthy eating habits often associated with watching TV (an unhealthy diet can also increase your risk of blood clots).

Hence it becomes extremely important that whether you’re watching TV or working at your computer, it’s a good idea to frequently get up and take breaks from sitting still. One should try to move around every time there’s an ad break, at least stand and stretch every 30 minutes, or be involved in other physical activities whilst watching to ensure you are staying active.

What are the symptoms of DVT?

A DVT usually forms in one leg or one arm. Not everyone with a DVT will have symptoms, but symptoms can include:

1. Sudden or slowly developed swelling of the leg or arm
2. warmness or pain in the swollen limb
3. Pain or tenderness in the leg on standing or walking.
4. Redness or discoloration of the skin
5. Veins near the skin’s surface are prominently seen

What are the symptoms of pulmonary embolism?

1. Sudden shortness of breath or fast breathing
2. Sharp chest pain that often comes with coughing or movement
3. Pain in the back
4. Cough - with or without bloody sputum/phlegm
5. Sweating more than normal
6. Fast heartbeat
7. Feeling dizzy or fainting

Acute Stroke Management - A Race Against Time

Did you know that every 3.3 minutes someone dies of stroke, or that stroke is the third leading cause of death and adult disability worldwide!

In India, 1 person suffers from stroke every minute.

The word Stroke (Paralysis or lakva) is derived from the word ‘Strike’ – an analogue to the sudden, severe attack with which it affects the patient and changes their mortality and morbidity completely, if not treated in time.

It is caused by the interruption of the blood supply to the brain, usually because a blood vessel bursts (hemorrhagic) or is blocked by a clot (Ischaemic). This cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain, causing damage to the brain tissue. Ischaemic strokes account for approximately 85% of all strokes whereas 15 % are hemorrhagic strokes.

Treatment of Acute Ischaemic stroke and its outcome is time dependent. Every second a person has stroke symptoms, brain cells die. As seconds tick away, permanent cognitive (mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things) and physical abilities are lost, and the risk of death looms. A stroke can have a profound effect on patients, their spouses and other family members.

Rapid injection of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA – a thrombolytic / clot dissolving injection) in blood is the early treatment. It should be administered within 3 – 4.5 hours of onset of above mentioned symptoms. International guidelines recommend a ‘door-to-needle time’ of 60 minutes or less (the time from entry of patient in emergency to administration of drug).

Lack of knowledge about stroke among the general public delays the initiation of immediate management of stroke. Delay in arrival of patient to the hospital, delayed consent by relatives for thrombolysis and unavailability of emergency ambulance services (especially in rural India) are the major reasons of treatment delay. The proportion of stroke patients reaching hospital within 3 hours in India is only 15%. Less than 20% of the general physicians are aware that r-tPA should be administered within the first 3 to 4.5 hours of stroke onset.

New drugs, advanced surgical techniques and interventional neuro-radiology procedures are among the effective new medical options available for stroke patients. These therapies have the potential to reverse the effects of stroke, significantly reduce permanent disability from stroke and lead to an optimal recovery, if administered within the first few hours after the onset of stroke symptoms.

On recognizing symptoms of stroke, patients should be rushed to any nearby hospital equipped to provide care for stroke management - 24/7, with a stroke team, 24 hour MRI / CT imaging facility, a laboratory and a Cathlab. A Stroke Team is a highly specialized, multidisciplinary team working round-the-clock to combat stroke emergencies. It includes the Emergency Physicians, Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Neuro-Intervention radiologists, Intensivists, Rehabilitation specialists and the nursing team.

Unfortunately, in India, most patients present to the Emergency Departments beyond the 3 - 4.5 hour guideline from symptom onset, thereby missing the important brain and life-saving treatment.

Stroke is a life-changing event that affects not only the person who may be disabled, but their family and caregivers. This year, stroke will affect 4 out of 5 families in India - don't let yours be one of them.

The Golden Hour

Heart diseases are major causes of mortality and disease in the Indian subcontinent, causing more than 25% of deaths. It has been predicted that India will be host to more than half the cases of heart disease in the world within the next 15 years.

In urban India, over the last few years, the prevalence of coronary artery disease in young adults and the incidence of young deaths due to heart attacks (myocardial infarction) have significantly increased. It can be attributed to the stressful lifestyle in the city, and also evolving risk factors like smoking, diabetes and Hypertension in the younger population.

50 % of the heart damage occurs within the first 2 hours of heart attack where there is risk for sudden cardiac death, arrhythmias, and permanent damage to the heart. In an Acute ST elevation myocardial infarction, every 30 min delay from symptom onset to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) increases patients’ risk of dying by 7.5 %.

Hence it becomes extremely important that the symptoms of heart attack are best recognized within the ‘Golden Hour’ – the first hour of definitive medical care where the patient’s medical fate is sealed.

Most people do not plan for a medical emergency, although everyone will have one at one time or another. Also, lack of knowledge and self-denial about cardiac emergencies among the general public delays the initiation of immediate management. It is unfortunate that most people take their symptoms lightly and think that symptoms may be due to ‘acidity’ or an upset stomach.

So next time you or your relative suffers from a sudden onset chest pain or heaviness, breathlessness, sudden profuse sweating or fatigue, visit your treating doctor or the nearest Hospital’s Emergency department immediately.

Global Hospital, Mumbai, is equipped to provide cutting edge care for cardiac emergencies – 24/7. Our team of trained emergency physicians, cardiologists and CTVS surgeons, critical care specialist, rehabilitation specialists, nurses and technicians are committed to providing the best treatment for emergency management, and we value every passing second and minute.

Most patients will be sick enough to know when they are in the golden hour and most of them will miss it when it is gone.

Rising number of heart attacks

COVID has changed the world and especially the healthcare industry forever.

A striking feature during COVID was the disappearance of the cardiovascular emergencies, including heart attacks and strokes.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, all emergency visits and admissions to hospitals in the country for heart related ailments had declined drastically by 40-60 % compared with pre-pandemic data.

Much could have been attributed to the fact that people were apprehensive and were delaying receiving prompt care for heart attacks or strokes due to fear of contracting COVID at the hospital, without realising that untreated heart attacks could lead to long-term serious complications. Researchers concluded that people were more than twice as likely to die from a heart attack when compared with pre-pandemic times, probably because they were less likely to be hospitalised.

In various studies over the last few months, it has been found that COVID evolved as a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. It is fatally affecting a large number of young people with no pre-existing heart ailments or any traditional risk factors like diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol. Also, the risk of heart attacks and strokes is increased three-fold in the first two weeks following COVID, with patients suffering a heart attack even after seven to eight weeks of recovery from COVID. Unfortunately, we saw a large number of patients in emergency between the age of 20 to 25 years suffering a massive heart attack and succumbing to it.

Off lately, there has been a sudden rise in cases of cardiovascular diseases presenting to the emergency. We can only ponder if it can be due to COVID?

It has now been established that Coronavirus does on occasions infect and damage the heart muscles directly. Studies have shown that up to 1 in 5 patients with the illness end up with heart damage. Heart failure has been the cause of death in COVID patients, even those without severe breathing problems.

Since people with COVID-19 can have symptoms similar to those of a heart attack, including chest pain, shortness of breath and changes on their 2D echocardiogram, or ECG, we will never be able to tell whether the large number of dead bodies which were brought to the Emergency Departments across the country were fatalities due to COVID lung infection or due to a heart attack caused by COVID.

Another undeniable truth is that the pandemic has lead people into developing the very lifestyle factors that cause heart disease over the long term. We’re a country which eats too much unhealthy food, exercises too little, fails to undergo regular health checkups - and with the lockdown for more than a year, the drivers of cardiovascular diseases only got worse. The American Heart Association (AHA) has predicted a surge of heart attack and strokes in the months and years to come as a lagging indicator of the lifestyle changes and stress forced upon the world by the pandemic.

With the ongoing battle against COVID, we need to combat perceptions that everyone must stay away from the hospital. People should not avoid seeking care for life-threatening, yet treatable, conditions like heart attacks and strokes.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Fitness is a buzzword nowadays, and we live in an age where everyone wants to be fit. A lot of Indians are hitting the gym with an aim of well-toned muscles and a lean six-pack, apart from staying fit and maintaining a healthy weight. With information freely available on the internet, people are also adopting to various types of diets. To act as a catalyst, various fitness apps on your phone, fitness bands, health startups and other technologies have been driving the market.

However, just because someone looks fit on the outside, does it mean that the person is healthy on the inside too? Fitness and health, though closely associated and often used synonymously, should not be confused to be the same. Even if you are fit, you may not be healthy. Why? – Read on.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

A slim and muscular body signifies that a person is physically fit. However, if the person is eating lots of unhealthy food and burning calories with a disciplined exercise regime to maintain their physique, or being a chain smoker or consuming high levels of alcohol, is not an indicator of good health.

Too much exercise is also not good for the body as it may lead to injuries, exhaustion, depression and anxiety, apart from possible cardiac arrhythmia or sudden cardiac arrest.

So how often should one workout? Studies have shown that 30 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity each day, totalling a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week with 1 days break, or a minimum of 75 minutes of intense exercise each week is ideal. Moderate aerobic exercise includes activities such as brisk walking or swimming. Vigorous aerobic exercise includes activities such as running and aerobic dancing. Strength training can include use of weight machines, your own body weight, or activities such as rock climbing.

Even in patients with pre-existing heart diseases, regular exercise is extremely important. Apart from making heart muscles stronger, it may also help patients be more active without chest pain or other symptoms. Exercise helps lower down the blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol levels, and help control the blood sugar, and in reducing weight – thereby controlling most major risk factors associated with heart diseases.

Along with regular physical exercises, nutrition plays an extremely important role in having a healthy heart. Healthy food choices can reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke as well as food related risk actors like obesity, high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes.

A regular exercise routine along with a healthy diet can substantially reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

Is it important for young adults to do their heart check ups at regular interval ?

Did you know that 1 in 4 deaths in India are due to cardiovascular disease, with heart disease and stroke responsible for 80 % of this burden? It has been predicted that India will be host to more than half the cases of heart disease in the world within the next 15 years.

Most Indians assume that there is no need to visit a doctor until something is wrong.

Gone are the days when Heart attacks were common only in the aged. Over the last few years, there has been a worry some tread of heart diseases and deaths due to heart attacks in the young population. Much of it can be attributed to the several lifestyle-related issues such as lack of exercise, stress, inconsistent eating habits, and also evolving risk factors like smoking, tobacco use, diabetes, Hypertension, obesity and high cholesterol in the younger population.

As our nation’s number one killer, the risks associated with cardiovascular disease cannot be overstated.

The key to maintain a healthy heart and best possible long term prognosis is dependent on early detection & treatment. Heart Checkups performed in young adults can give doctors & patients a great insight into their overall heart health; and help safeguard them from any potential heart problems, before serious health complications occur.

A healthy lifestyle and routine monitoring of heart health factors are more than just recommendations; they are necessities for long-term well-being. It’s a small measure but one that may be life-saving.

On crossroads between Life and Death.

Did you know that Heart Attacks and Paralytic Strokes have beginnings, which can best be treated within a “Golden Hour”?

An Emergency Can Strike Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime - an undeniable universal truth where few minutes can mean the difference between life and death, and the only thing standing between it is timely medical care. Most people do not plan for a medical emergency, although everyone will have one at one time or another.

The first hour of definitive medical care is called the “golden hour”. It is usually this first hour where the patient’s medical fate is sealed and is very important in situations such as trauma, heart attack or stroke, where time is heart or time is brain. In general, the faster the medical care is rendered, the better is the patient’s chances of survival and ultimate ability to function.

The Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is the “shop window” and insight mirror for a hospital. It is the part of the hospital most closely in contact with the public as it offers the most informal access. Today, modern emergency departments not only are capable of providing round-the-clock lifesaving care in individual emergencies and disasters, they also conduct timely diagnostic workups and serve as the “safety net of the safety net” for millions of patients. Also it is surrounded by so much drama, tragedy, and media interest.

The A&E at Global Hospital, Mumbai is an 8 bedded state of the art facility dealing with a wide spectrum of patients with acute emergencies for initial evaluation, resuscitation, treatment, investigation, stabilization, monitoring and disposition. The dedicated team of trained emergency physicians, nurses and other health professionals provide an extraordinary level of knowledge, skill and compassion to the full spectrum of patients we serve at the Hospital.

Most patients will be sick enough to know when they are in the golden hour and most of them will miss it when it is gone. When seconds and minutes count, count on us!