More than 20 per cent of the 165 patients who underwent free angioplasties at a workshop conducted by the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences in the city are aged below 40. At the valedictory function on Friday, institute director C.N. Manjunath said the young were increasingly prone to heart ailments these days. Hypertension and smoking were found to be the major risk factors among the 165 patients. “Nearly 20 per cent of the patients are women. While 41 per cent are diabetic, 46 per cent have hypertension, 47 per cent are smokers and 21 per cent have high cholesterol,” Dr. Manjunath said.
While a 33-year-old construction worker, Mumtaz Begum, is the youngest beneficiary, an 80-year-old farmer is the oldest beneficiary. “We have noted that people in the age group of 30 years to 40 years are most vulnerable,” he said.
The workshop was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Govindraju Subramani Heart Foundation and Medtronic Vascular Division of USA in the last five days. This is the seventh workshop and over 1,300 patients have benefited so far.
Minister of State for Medical Education Sharanprakash R. Patil said the government would set up super-speciality hospitals in all revenue headquarters. Initially, the hospitals would come up in Gulbarga, Mysore, Belgaum, Hubli and Bellary, as announced in the budget. The government will also set up a medical college in very district, he said.
Dr. Manjunath said it was possible to conduct 165 angioplasties in five days only because of the generosity of donors and the facilities available at the hospital. “The NRI donors helped us with stents and balloons worth Rs 1.5 crore and we pooled in the remaining Rs. 50 lakh required for the workshop.”
“It was technically demanding but possible because we have four cath labs, 40 full-time cardiologists and excellent technical and nursing staff,” he added.
He along with donors Dr. Subramani and Dr. Devaraj advised patients to follow a strict diet, exercise and take medicines regularly. “If you miss your medicine even for a day, our efforts will go waste. If you cannot afford the medicines, please approach us,” Dr. Manjunath said.
