Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Heart ailments and Davao Heart Center By Carlo P. Mallo
THE month of February celebrates what gives meaning to our lives, but more so to what gives us life: the heart. No other organ in the human anatomy is given much credit as the heart and it indeed deserves the veneration bestowed upon it.
The human heart beats non-stop for the entirety of a human life; should it cease, so does the life of the person. Without the heart, all other functions of the human body will be rendered useless. The heart ensures that the various parts of the body are given ample amounts of oxygen, a vital ingredient in the concoction of life.
Over a typical life span of 76 years, the heart will beat nearly 2.8 billion times and move 169 million liters (179 million quarts) of blood. But the heart does more than that. The heart has also to adjust to the changes in the body's demand for oxygen.
The heart is even believed to be the source of the soul and emotions; thus, coining the term heart broken. Much importance can be credited to this organ, which is no bigger than the closed human fist, and yet, it remains to be abused and disregarded.
Heart diseases continue to plague our people. In Davao City alone, heart related diseases rank 4th in the cause of deaths among the citizenry. The Department of Health Region 11 reported that the disease accounts for almost 15 percent of the morbidity rate in the city.
With a rising problem of heart related diseases in the city, the Davao Medical Center set up a P350-million heart center facility in the region provided with state-of-the art facilities that is at par with the premiere hospitals in Manila.
Incidentally, three out of five people in an informal interview were found to believe that there is only one kind of heart disease that plagues the people.
There are actually over five major kinds of diseases that can cause one's heart to function out of its league or simply stop.
The most common heart disease in Davao City, and anywhere else in the world, is the Coronary Heart Disease. This particular kind of disease develops with the build up of fatty material in the inner walls of the arteries of the heart causing them to narrow down and eventually block the passage. The block could cause difficulty in breathing, chest pains, or even worse, a major heart attack. The primary reason for the build up of fat is a high cholesterol diet. No cure for the disease has been discovered, however, preventive measures can be taken to avert the possibility of a heart attack.
Another type of heart disease that preys on the children is the Congenital Heart Disease. This type of disease manifests when there is a defect in one or more parts of the heart that occurs prior to birth.
The disease affects an average of 8 out of 1000 children. One of the most common abnormalities is a septal defect, an opening between the right and left atrium or between the right and left ventricle. Babies suffering from this condition are also termed as "blue babies," who tend to turn bluish due to the lack of oxygen.
Stress actually could also cause strains on one's heart medically termed as Arrythmias. This kind of disease is manifested by abnormally fast or abnormally slow heart rhythms.
The disease can be attributed to factors such as alcohol, caffeine, or simply not getting a good night's sleep. However, serious damage to the heart muscle may also result in the development of arrythmias. Heart muscle damage, more often than not, results from a heart attack, however it can also emanate from infections or congenital defects.
Aside from the common heart diseases mentioned, other heart related problems such as tumors, heart damage from other diseases such as syphilis and tuberculosis, and inflammation of the heart muscle, pericardium, or endocardium can also affect the heart.
People usually succumb to these diseases for two reasons; either they were not aware that they have the disease, or they could not afford its treatment. For the fortunate it is usually the former while the latter accounts for those who have less.
Treatment for the heart-related diseases needs special equipment and physicians.
However, the procurement for either of the two does not come cheap. In the country, only big metropolis such as Metro Manila and Cebu has hospitals that can cater to these kinds of diseases.
More than the amount to be spent, time is also of the essence and traveling to these places entail a lot of time. In heart related diseases, we do not have the leisure of time, more so if it is an emergency.
With the opening of the Davao Heart Center today at the Davao Medical Hospital, these problems are intended to be solved. After nine years of waiting, as the facility took nine years to be completed, Davao City and its people will finally be provided with a heart facility at par with the best in the country.
Accessibility to facilities that can diagnose and intervene in heart diseases is made easier to all people in the region. And since the hospital is government-run, it is also easily accessible to people who have less.
The heart facility will have two major sections: the diagnostic division and the intervention division.
Initially, only the diagnostic division will be opened to the public as there is still some equipment for the intervention division that is yet to arrive.
The Davao Heart Center will be home to a catheterization laboratory or cath lab, the first 3D Echocardiogram in Mindanao, operating rooms equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, and cardiac clinics.
The facility is capable of doing open bypass surgeries and close heart surgeries.
The P350-million Davao Heart Center will be complemented with the best cardiologists and other physicians in the entire region. With the Davao Heart Center, care for one of the most important organs in the human anatomy is made to be within the reach of everyone.
