‘The right diet helps prevent heart disease’

Experts have said cardiovascular diseases are on the rise in Nigeria. What technologies or methods do you think can be harnessed to address heart diseases?  What you need basically is an echocardiography machine which you already have. Lots of echocardiography machines are coming into the market. In addition to that what you need is a […]

Experts have said cardiovascular diseases are on the rise in Nigeria. What technologies or methods do you think can be harnessed to address heart diseases?
 What you need basically is an echocardiography machine which you already have. Lots of echocardiography machines are coming into the market.
In addition to that what you need is a coronary angiogram, that is an angiography machine. So these two are really required to be able do high end work and to diagnose high end. Those two should suffice.
 It is already there but it should be made cheaper and more available to the masses.

 What is your advice for cardiac surgeons in Nigeria?
Cardiac surgeons are goal getters and they will do everything and anything you tell them to do. The only thing is that they should have good cardiology colleagues. That is they should work with the cardiologist .They can access patients together and decide which patient is to be treated by the cardiologist and which patient is to be treated by the surgeon.
 Once they can do that, I am sure that their experience  will grow and they will get better and better at what they are doing..

 What are the areas in which surgery is employed in the treatment of heart diseases?
There are three main areas, one is congenital heart disease, that is disease which affects children from birth. The second is Valvular  Heart  disease where heart valves are repaired and replaced. Then there is Coronary heart  disease. The fourth is heart failure surgery where basically artificial heart transplant  is required.

 What causes heart failure in people?
Any of these three things mentioned can cause heart failure. In addition to hypertension, is also quite common, cardiomyopathy  which is quite common in Nigeria, Coronary heart disease, Valvular Heart disease, congenital heart disease all these cause heart failure.

 What skills do you think Nigerian surgeons need acquire to be at par with international practices?
They are very skillful people, so many of them have been trained under me. It is just that they now have to build up enough experience to be better and that can only come with time and with cardiologist helping them out.

 Can you simplify what the controversy is around use of angiostensinm or CABG?
The controversy is whether one should go for surgery or whether the cardiologist should put a stent within the artery and open the lesion when there is a block of the artery. There are two ways of correcting the block. One is the surgeon puts a bypass graft across the block  while the cardiologist puts a stent like a spring in ball pen so that keeps the artery open. But the problem with that  is that it is a metallic piece except the patient changes his lifestyle , takes drugs.

 What is your advice on preventing heart disease?
Eat the right things, do the right amount of exercise, watch your blood pressure, control your diabetes and don’t smoke.