News

25 years of cardiac surgery…at Strathfield Private

Jun 01, 2016

Never too young for a heart attack…never too old for surgery

For Josline Ayoub the impending signs of heart attack were anything but “the feeling of an elephant-sitting-on-the-chest”.

Josline, 49, from Croydon, was treated at Strathfield Private after suffering a heart attack whilst shopping with her daughter.

“The day it happened I had no chest pain at all really; the pain was more in my back and jaw and I had some numbness in my arm,” says Josline.

“For about a year before that I had the same recurring numbness in my arm but no major chest pain, and one GP put it down to stress.

“It was only when I was taken to hospital that the doctors discovered an underlying congenital heart defect. That’s why I urge all women to thoroughly investigate any persistent early symptoms with a cardiologist.”

The Hospital also threw its support behind the Heart Foundation’s “making the invisible visible” campaign for Heart Month in June – which aims women to help women like Josline recognise the sometimes “subtle” symptoms of female heart disease.

For Amelia, aged 45, a wife and mum, it was signs of significant heart failure, and the subsequent valve replacement via open heart surgery that now allows her heart to keep up with her.

Today, heart disease is the biggest killer of women in Australia according to the Heart Foundation – yet 40 per cent of women have no chest pain symptoms– with jaw pain, back pain, neck pain, severe unexplained fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, cold sweats and nausea all some of the more subtle signs.

The good news is that Strathfield Private continues to provide excellent outcomes for cardiac patients like Josline and Amelia.

“Twenty five years ago, Strathfield Private performed some of Australia’s earliest heart surgeries,” says Strathfield Private CEO Paul Darcy.

“Today the innovation continues and our surgeons can replace a heart valve without cutting the chest in high risk TAVI (Trans Catheter Aortic Valve Implant) patients – where the valve is replaced via the groin.”

He says the hospital treats patients from all around the Asia Pacific Region, some of whom are well into their 90s.

“Despite many of these patients having complex cardiac disease our survival rate is 98 per cent - well above international benchmark for this age group.”