Massive advancements made in the techniques of echocardiography over the years while paving way for efficient and early diagnosis of severe heart conditions, also seek positive change in the perception of cardiologists as well as cardiac surgeons towards their respective patients.
Professor Dr A Jamil Tajik, Director of Mayo Cardiovascular International and former Chairman Division of Cardiovascular Diseases Mayo Clinic Rochester in a presentation at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) here Thursday called upon the local cardiologists to sharpen their skills in echocardiography with focus on learning new developments taking place in the techniques besides ensuring their proper application in management of varied heart diseases.
The speaker opined that developments made in the relevant diagnostic field make it extremely crucial that surgery is no more considered as mere 'Relief of Symptoms'. Technology has helped professionals to arrive at a stage where surgical interventions can factually help restoring life, he said reiterating the fact that surgery if done efficiently and without any unnecessary delay can help rejuvenating survival of a human being suffering from serious cardiac conditions.
"Focus of a surgeon must not only be on symptom relief but on improved life survival," the seasoned expert said.
He in this regard specifically referred to the outcome of surgical intervention in cases related to Mitral Regurgitation, with operative mortality coming to 0.4 percent also with a very long term durability of Mitral Valve Repair.
Professor Tajik referred to the dilemma which cardiac surgeons are often exposed to such instances where patient may be reporting with asymptomatic condition while actual status acquired through updated diagnostic techniques as echo-cardiography may be suggesting need for immediate surgical intervention.
He, extensively referring to varied studies, reminded that rate of sudden deaths is quite high among patients with mitral regurgitation - symptomatic or asymptomatic.
"Absence of symptoms is no assurance," he said seeking early surgery with specific reference to severe organic regurgitation. Life expectancy is reduced if severe mitral regurgitation is not timely attended as it is the size of hole which have to be repaired, he elaborated.
Answering a question, Professor Tajik said repair of valve should be preferred over valve replacement adding that while presently more emphasis appears to be on replacement of valves but trend is witnessed to be changing gradually as cardiologists too are persuading cardiac surgeons for repair.
To another question he said myocardial diseases are most prevalent in the west and severe rheumatic myocardial conditions are reported to be quite commonly witnessed in the developing world. It was acknowledged that lesions associated with rheumatic heart conditions are much more difficult to be handled.
"The fact, however, remains that we have to grow out of symptom attachment and move on to intervention," Professor Jamil Tajik stressed.
It is pertinent to mention that the speaker while carving a niche in the field of medicine has been helping a great many Pakistani doctors to achieve specialisation opportunities in known medical and research institutes of USA.
Following the presentation a shield was presented to the eminent speaker by the Vice Chancellor of DUHS Professor Masood Hameed. A shield was also awarded to Professor Abdul Samad for his services in the field of cardiology in Pakistan.
Later, Professor Jamil Tajik also conducted a workshop for Karachi based cardiologists and surgeons at DUHS.