| Boasting the ability to complete an unprecedented number of angiograms within a one-week period, the Cardiology Department of the Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital has been proving to be a medical force to be reckoned with.Since being introduced in 2012, the department has performed approximatelyFrom left: Dr. Jorge Carlos Machin Rodriguez, Dr. Madhu Singh and Dr. Javier Almeida Gomez.800 angiograms. An angiogram is performed when coronary arteries are blocked or if they have narrowed. If there is a blockage, or narrowing, blood supply to the heart will be decreased.According to Medical Director,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, Dr. Madhu Singh, “Today, our department is currently performing 15-20 angiograms per month.”She, however, disclosed yesterday that the hospital was able to break its own record by completing 40 angiograms between the period April 25 and April 30, 2016.The hospital has also been offering open-heart surgery, stent placements for blockages in the coronary arteries and pacemaker implantation for those patients who suffer from abnormal heart rhythms.According to Dr. Singh, the importance of offering cardiology services is linked to the fact that there has been a high incidence of cardiac diseases in Guyana. She disclosed that coronary artery deaths in Guyana reached 888 or 15.7 per cent of total deaths in May 2014, based on the World Health Organisation statistics.Dr. Singh disclosed yesterday, too, that the age of adjusted Death Rate is 217.39 per 100,Wholesale Jerseys,000 population and therefore ranks Guyana at number 14 in the world.The FDA approved Cath LabIt was in order to combat a growing cardiac challenge that the Cardiology Department was introduced. The facility, according to Dr. Singh, was brought into being complete with a GE Innova 3100 Cardiac Catherisation Lab (Cath Lab) which is approved by the FDA in the United States and is used in North America and Trinidad.According to Dr. Singh,NFL Jerseys Supply, “All disposables for the angiograms and stents are sourced from North and European Companies and are manufactured to their standards.” She insisted yesterday too that “our angiogram price is the cheapest in Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean at $160,000.” The other facility that offers regular cardiology services is the Caribbean Heart Institute which is located at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.Dr. Singh bragged, yesterday, that the privately operated hospital is the only one in Guyana to offer a 24-hour service provided by a full-time Cardiologist who is supported by a cardiac surgical team.And the Medical Director made it clear that “this is the international standard of care and safety and is a requirement for cardiac centres to function safely and be licensed. If, any centre does not have a cardiac surgeon’s support, they are taking a huge risk with their patient’s lives.”Yesterday, Dr. Singh introduced two of the newest members of the Cardiology Department who have been helping to advance the services offered. Dr. Javier Almeida Gomez, who holds a first and second degree in Cardiology and has completed a fellowship in Interventional Cardiology in Spain, joined the team at the Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital in October of last year.He, according to the Medical Director, has to date performed more than 9,Cheap NFL Jerseys China,000 coronary angiograms which are done using the radial artery in the hand.“This allows for the patient to be discharged from hospital a few hours after the angiogram has been completed,” Dr. Singh explained as she added that “he has performed approximately two to three thousand stent placements.” He has also performed approximately 150 angiograms at the private hospital.The hospital’s Resident Cardio-vascular Surgeon is Dr. Jorge Carlos Machin Rodriguez, who has a first and second degree in cardiovascular surgery. He has performed, to date, more than 2,000 cardiac surgeries including bypass surgery or surgeries for patients with congenital heart disease and valvular disease.In fact Dr. Rodriguez has special training in off pump bypass which is not performed by all cardiac surgeons. According to Dr. Singh,Wholesale China Jerseys, “Both Dr. Gomez and Rodriguez bring much needed skills and experience to Guyana.”In stressing that the Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital is the number one cardiac centre in Guyana, Dr. Singh highlighted that not only does the facility offers 24-hour support to its patients, but it has the largest functional Cath Lab which provides better visualisation of the coronary arteries. “Our programme is the only one in Guyana to have a cardio-vascular surgeon based here on a full-time basis. Having a cardiovascular surgeon is very important because he would be able to provide critical support to the cardiologist should any patient need it. In centres, where there is no cardiovascular surgeon the patients are taking a huge risk,Adrian Wilson Cardinals Jersey,” Dr. Singh asserted.With the services offered, the Medical Director said that the cardiology programme was provided to offer patients an affordable option for cardiac care while maintaining high standards of quality care. |
