Matters of the heart

Friday 21 August 2020

WORDS: Retired Emergency Medicine Physician Dr Bryan Walpole AM

Your heart beats 72 x 60 x 24, a total of 103,680 times a day, which is 41 million times a year. No mechanical pump would be capable of managing this for about 80 years; it is a truly remarkable organ. For some of us, though, it begins to fail later in life understandably.

In my fathers' case, a farmer, after 77 years of faithful service, it began to fail, chugging along slowly and not oxygenating his organs well. He was constantly breathless, always tired, and could only walk short distances, and had regular bouts of chest pain. Eating a meal made it worse, as when his stomach was digesting, his guts extracted a large amount of blood and oxygen. His memory was also failing.

He learned to smoke in the army and smoked for ten years after the war.

His GP referred him to a cardiologist, as his pulse was noted to be occasionally slow.  He was diagnosed with brady-tachy (fast-slow) syndrome, the hearts ignition and wiring were worn out. At the Royal Hobart Hospital, a pace making wire was inserted into his heart via the left shoulder, with remarkable results, as his heart now regularly beat at its old 72 rate. The whole operation was conducted under local anaesthesia, and he came home the same day, all at no cost to him.

He was able to walk about, could remember names, places, sleep flat without waking breathless—a genuinely astonishing reversal.

He carried a card so that when accosted at airports, library exits or supermarket doors, there was an explanation for the piercing alarm.

The battery lasted over six years until his death.

Cardiology is an exciting part of medicine, as it deals with the body motor, as we know from the car, new plugs, a valve grind, rings or especially a new short motor makes a massive difference to performance. Coronary artery bypass, valve repair, pacemakers, are basically reconditioning the engine. Heart transplant, which is now so successful, where a younger healthy donated heart replaces the worn one, often gives 20 years of good quality life to folks facing certain death.

So, to the monthly message, look after the motor, and it will give years of faithful service. Above all, please don't smoke, or let anyone in the family or household smoke; it is utterly destructive.

Get tested for diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure, as all are risk factors too. And as I always say, just like walking the dog is good for its mental and physical health, get some exercise, COVID 19 rules all permit it, and it's undoubtedly the best active thing we can do.

CONTACT: 

Communications AMA Tasmania – Nadine Cove – 0409159285

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