News

Get to know your heart during Heart Week

Apr 24, 2019

A cardiothoracic surgeon at Strathfield Private Hospital is urging Australians to use the upcoming Heart Week (28 April – 4 May) as a timely reminder to look after the precious organ.

Dr Matthew Bayfield said: “Looking after your heart is common sense but it tends to get ignored. Our heart enables us to be alive, walk around, exercise, do all the things we want to do.”

“The leeway the heart has for withstanding impact is a lot smaller than other organs, so when things go wrong with the heart, they can go wrong dramatically. And once the heart’s damaged, people can’t do the things they’d like to be able to do, like exercise or travel,” Dr Bayfield said.

Smoking, a poor diet, high cholesterol, obesity, family history and physical inactivity are among the risk factors for heart disease.

“It’s about knowing your heart, being aware of the symptoms if you’re getting heart problems and not ignoring them, because early intervention can prevent further damage to the heart,” Dr Bayfield said.

Strathfield Private Hospital is internationally recognised as a Centre of Excellence for heart patients, offering state-of-the-art facilities and the latest technologies, an intensive care unit and around-the-clock referral to cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiology services.

“Staff at Strathfield Private are highly trained and in many cases have worked there for 15, 20 years. They’re dedicated to what they do and there’s an excellent teamwork approach to looking after patients,” Dr Bayfield said.