By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
As Nigeria joins in marking the World Heart Day, 2023, the Federal Government with the support the Nigerian Heart Foundation today launched the Cardiac Emergency Response Box, a device that revives people with cardio vascular attacks.
The theme of the World Heart Day 2023 is” Use Heart , Know. Heart”.
The Coordinating Minister of Health, Professor Mohammad Ali Pate, represented by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa who launched to Hypertension arrest kit said that the Cardiac Emergency Response Box also known as Automated External Defibrillators, AEDs, said that the box will be deployed at appropriate high population areas like the airports.
“AEDs are portable, life-saving medical devices used to revive sudden heart attacks.”
Pate said the health ministry is responding to heart arrest emergencies, commended the Nigerian Heart Foundation for the initiative and urged other partners to emulate such a gesture.
According to the Coordinating Minister, the World Heart Day is a day set aside by the Cardiovascular Health Community all over the world to raise awareness about the importance of the heart and promote preventive measures to reduce the global impact and burden of heart diseases. ”
This year’s theme, he noted, ‘ is beyond encouraging us to learn more about our hearts and how to keep them healthy, it also enjoins us to show care and compassion to people who suffer from heart problems.”
“It reminds us that taking care of our hearts and those of others is not only a medical necessity but also a fundamental act of self-love and care for our loved ones.”
Noting that the heart is a vital organ of the body and the engine room, responsible for pumping life-sustaining blood to all parts of the body.
“In an average adult at rest, the normal heart rate is 60–100 beats per minute, and with each heartbeat, the heart pumps 70 milliliters (mL) of blood out of the heart, which is equivalent to 5–7 Liters of blood per minute.”
The Coordinating minister therefore advised the people to endeavor to protect their hearts against diseases and conditions that will cause it to malfunction.
The Health ministry states in Nigeria, cardiovascular diseases like hypertension prevalence exceeds 30 percent, stroke incidence at 25.9 percent per 100,000 persons per year between 2000 and 2015 ; coronary heart disease prevalence at 0.7%; rheumatic heart disease, which is a disease of the socio-economically disadvantaged at 27 per 1000 children.
Giving the silent and chronic nature of the majority of the cardiovascular diseases, it is important to institute long-lasting measures to prevent, detect and manage them early to avert complications such as heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and even death, the Minister said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization,WHO, statistics reveals that cardiovascular deaths, 85 percent are due to heart attack and stroke, and over three-quarter occur in middle-income countries.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which are the leading Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), cause deaths of an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.
Furthermore, the Executive Director, NHF, Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, revealed that AEDs are sophisticated, lightweight, portable, yet easy -to-use medical devices that can analyze the heart’s rhythm and send electric pulses to a person’s heart.
“It also helps to restore a normal heartbeat and could be used at hospitals, homes, schools and in public places.”
“AEDs are the only way to restore a normal heartbeat when someone is experiencing a cardiac arrest.”
To help someone who is in cardiac arrest survive, a defibrillator needs to be found as quickly as possible, he explained.
To avoid cardiovascular disease, Prof. Pate advised Nigerians to engage in physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes daily, adding that it Physical activity relieves stress, keeps you fit, and controls body weight,Avoid tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke. Avoid harmful intake of alcohol.
Eat a healthy diet containing a minimum of 3-5 servings of various fresh fruits and vegetables spread over each day. In addition, eat various whole grains, lean meat, fish, peas, beans, and lentils. Limit processed foods, limit salt intake to less than 5 grams (1 teaspoon) daily, reduce dietary cholesterol, and avoid industrially produced trans-fats.
Do regular checking of blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels.
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