Cath Lab Digest - May 2008 - (Page 48)

48 CLINICAL AND INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 2008 India Overwhelmed by Heart Disease B y 2010, India will carry 60 percent of the world’s heart disease burden, nearly four times more than its share of the global population, according to a recent study. Adding to the burden is a higher incidence of the types of heart disease resulting in serious illness and mortality, and the fact that these conditions strike at an earlier age, says the study. Death rates are especially high among the country’s poorest residents, unable to get to hospital quickly in an emergency, or to afford routine treatments and surgery. Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in the world, accounting for 7.1 million deaths in 2001. More than 80 percent of these were in developing countries. Researchers have long known that south Asia has the highest level of acute coronary syndromes in the world, but little statistical data was available about treatment and health outcomes. A team of researchers led by Denis Xavier of St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India gathered data on nearly 21,000 coronary patients admitted to 89 hospitals across 50 cities across the country. They found that of 20,468 patients given a definite diagnosis, 60 percent showed evidence of a heart attack, compared with 40 percent in developing countries. With a average age of 60, these Indian patients were also younger by three to six years than their counterparts in richer nations. The risk factors are the same as elsewhere, but the gap between India and developed nations have more specific causes, the study found. One was simply the time needed for patients suffering an acute heart problem to get medical attention. On average, it took 300 minutes to reach a hospital in India, twice as long as in rich nations. “Few patients used an ambulance to reach the hospital. Most used private or public transport” due to financial constraints, the authors note. Poverty also prevented most patients in India — where 75 percent of health care expenses are paid outof-pocket — from obtaining routine treatments in hospital, much less preventative surgery. Many of these findings were expected, but had never before been quantified. “This registry is a major milestone, since it provides the first comprehensive view of the epidemic of acute coronary syndrome in India and helps to identify opportunities for improvement in care,” notes cardiologist Kim Eagle in a commentary, also published in The Lancet. “As the Indian economy grows, there is a possibility to further increases in cardiovascular disease before we see a decline similar to that being witnessed in developed countries,” he warned. By 2020, ischemic heart disease is expected to have increased over three decades by 137 percent for men and 120 percent for women in poorer nations, compared with 30 to 60 percent in rich economies, according to The Lancet. ■ Piedmont Hospital Rated Best in Atlanta for Overall Cardiac Care and Cardiac Surgery P iedmont Hospital has been recognized as Best in Atlanta for Overall Cardiac Care and Cardiac Surgery for 2008, according to The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study. The HealthGrades® study identifies key trends in the quality of care provided by approximately 5,000 hospitals nationwide. HealthGrades researchers analyzed Medicare discharges from every U.S. hospital between 2004 and 2006. Risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated, and hospitals were assigned a one-star (poor), three-star (as expected), or fivestar (best) quality rating for 28 diagnoses and procedures from heart failure to hip replacement to pneumonia. “We are extremely proud of this recognition earned by a dedicated team of professionals, who aim tirelessly to attain the greatest clinical outcomes and patient safety standards. To win such high honors by an independent study is a testament to the physicians, nurses and entire team of cardiac professionals at Piedmont,” said Robert W. Maynard, president and CEO of Piedmont Hospital. Piedmont Hospital is the only metro Atlanta hospital to attain both the Cardiac Care and the Cardiac Surgery Excellence Awards and one of only 108 hospitals in the country to earn the distinction. Overall cardiac care includes performance in numerous cardiovascular services, including care for patients with heart attack, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), valve surgery, interventional cardiology, and heart failure. Earlier in the year, Piedmont Hospital was the recipient of HealthGrades 2007 Distinguished Hospital for Patient Safety Award™, for the second consecutive year. The award ranked Piedmont among the top five percent nationally for patient safety outcomes. The Piedmont Heart Institute is the first integrated cardiovascular healthcare delivery program affiliated with a community health system in greater Atlanta. For more information, visit www.piedmont.org. ■ http://www.piedmont.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cath Lab Digest - May 2008

Cath Lab Digest - May 2008 The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Cell Therapy in the Cath Lab for Heart Failure: A Look at MyoCell® Therapy and the SEISMIC Trial Performance Improvement Strategies Speed Up Treatment Times in the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Patients Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner Commentary: Performance Improvement Strategies Speed Up Treatment Times in the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Patients Ask the STEMI Expert Comparing Drug-Eluting Stents and Bare-Metal Stents SICP: The Ten-Minute Interview with… Christopher Kambak, RT(R) Cardiac Cath Lab Economics in a Public Hospital of a Developing Country Keeping Your Heart & Vascular Employees: Proven Ideas for an Effective Retention Plan Unspoken Words Ask the Clinical Instructor Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals Meetings Calendar Education Center What Do You Think? Clinical & Industry News Classifieds Advertisers Index

Cath Lab Digest - May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.