News

Strathfield private celebrates world heart day

Sep 29, 2020

Residents in Sydney’s inner-west are being urged to check in on their heart health this Tuesday for World Heart Day.

Celebrated every year on September 29th, World Heart Day is encouraging people to ‘use heart to beat cardiovascular disease’, which is the number one cause of death on the planet.

Strathfield Private Hospital cardiologist, A/Prof Michele McGrady, said lifestyle factors are critical when it comes to maintaining a healthy heart.

“It’s not all about fancy fixes. Eating your vegetables, getting enough exercise, sleep, play and being happy are all really important to stopping heart disease occurring and progressing,” A/Prof McGrady said.

“Think about what’s good for your heart. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a massive steak, it’s not a sin or a failure, it’s being human. But understand that cholesterol comes from animal products. That doesn’t mean you have to become a vegan - just increase your veggies a couple of times a week. Focus on what’s good for you, not what you have to give up.”

World Heart Day was created by the World Heart Foundation and aims to inform people around the globe that cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death, claiming 17.9 million lives each year.

However, at least 80% of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided by controlling risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Strathfield Private Hospital dietitian, Simone Launt-Peters, said people wanting to improve their heart health should set small, achievable goals to get started.

“I think people can make a big difference just by looking at their weight. You might have 20 kilograms to lose but if you can drop your weight even by six kilograms, that makes a really big difference to your cholesterol and overall wellbeing,” Ms Launt-Peters said.

“Quite often busy people eat their biggest meal at night but they need to understand their body is like a car. They’re refuelling at the end of the day and they’re not running the engine - it’s parked in the garage, so take a look at their dinner meal.”

Strathfield Private Hospital has been providing cardiac services to Sydney’s inner-west community for more than 30 years and has a dedicated 29-bed cardiovascular unit and a 10-bed intensive and coronary care unit.

This year, the hospital completed a $1 million upgrade to its catheterisation lab, where doctors can perform the latest tests and procedures to diagnose and treat heart disease.

Strathfield’s Cardiac Coordinator, , Cassandra Board - who is also a registered nurse - said it was a privilege to support patients and their families during their heart surgery journey.

“I meet them at a pre-admission clinic and follow their care right through to discharge and beyond because we’re trying to help them with lifelong changes,” Ms Board said.

“We really provide multidisciplinary care from the cardiologists, surgeons and nurses, to dieticians, physiotherapy and pharmacy, we are working as a team to provide the best outcome for the patient.

“Undergoing heart surgery is a confronting time and to be able to provide support and reassurance, whether through the provision of information or assisting with discharge planning or simply being a familiar face is very rewarding,” she said.

“We’re a highly skilled team and many of us have been working together for 20 years.”