Hospitals in Visakhapatnam celebrate World Heart Day with focus on early detection

TDP AP state president Palla Srinivasa Rao inaugurated the command center at Apollo Hospitals on the occasion of World Heart Day in Visakhapatnam on Monday. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

World Heart Day will be celebrated on Tuesday (September 29) with this year’s World Heart Federation ‘Don’t Miss a Beat’ campaign, which encourages people to recognize the early signs of heart disease. Hospitals in Visakhapatnam marked the occasion with new services and awareness messages.

Senior cardiologists Dr. NK Panigrahi, Dr. DK Baruah and Dr. Trivedi, nephrologist Dr. T. Ravi Raju and orthopedist Dr. I. Satish Raju were among those present at Apollo Hospital on Monday when it launched the Advanced Command Centre. The facility was inaugurated by Palla Srinivasa Rao, Gajuwaka MLA and Telugu Desam Party State President.

It connects a network of smart ambulances, tele-ECG services for more than 15 nursing homes, connected care facilities, telemedicine and an airport medical center. In ambulances, EKGs and vital signs are sent to specialists while the patient is en route, allowing emergency and cath lab teams to prepare before arrival.

The hospital has also introduced an AI-based cardiac risk score that rates the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease as low, medium or high, and a campaign called “Know Your Risk and Raise Your HQ”, where HQ stands for cardiac quotient. Mr. Srinivasa Rao said such services would reduce the need for patients to travel to other cities and strengthen the city’s position as a healthcare hub.

Dr. Panigrahi said that India has become the diabetes capital of the world. “About 33 million people have high blood pressure and 35 million people have high levels of bad cholesterol. Ten million are diabetic and 23 million are pre-diabetic, while 5 to 10 percent of children are obese. Heart disease prevention should start in schools and homes from an early age,” he said.

Between 10% and 15% of heart attacks occur in people under 45, he said. “Early treatment requires early detection. Blood clots break open better in younger individuals if the drug is given early. This is where an advanced command center comes into play because it connects different centers,” he added.

Separately, Dr. Ganesh Kasinadhuni, chief interventional cardiologist at KIMS Hospitals, Seethammadhara, said coronary artery disease, once considered a condition of the elderly, is now appearing a decade earlier, with heart attacks common in people in their 30s and 40s. Citing the INTERHEART study, he said the average age at first heart attack among South Asians was 53, compared to 63 in Western Europe, China and Hong Kong.

Abdominal obesity, diabetes, sedentary and stressful jobs, diets high in refined carbohydrates, smoking, alcohol and genetic predisposition were contributing factors, he said. Chest pressure with exertion, unusual shortness of breath, and pain radiating to the jaw, arm, or back require immediate attention. He recommended regular checks of blood pressure, glucose and lipids after the age of 30, earlier with a family history.

Published – 28 Sep 2026 23:24 IST