Pearl Clinic & Preventive Cardiology

An Initiative Towards Healthy Living

Heart Diseases continue to be one of the leading causes of death in India. There is also a recent uprise of heart diseases in younger age group, thus contributing to a huge social and economic burden. We keep hearing about the loss of famous film personalities and sports people due to heart attack despite them being gym attendees . High blood pressure , Diabetes, high cholesterol , Obesity and smoking are the commonly talked about risk factors for heart disease . But unfortunately they account for only about 50% of the deaths . Rest of the risk factors are not routinely assessed.

Our life style plays a major role which is often underestimated by the medical fraternity and public alike . Similarly there are tests which are easily available to diagnose heart disease at their early stages but grossly underused . The preventive cardiology team at PSG hospitals helps to bridge the gaps in preventive care meticulously.,

Prevention is the key which still seems unpopular and under used .. PEARL CLINIC and HARP, our two keys that are pillared on prevention will provide you with the right solutions to prevent heart disease. PEARL CLINIC is for primary prevention of diseases ie prevention of heart disease in any vulnerable individuals while HARP guides to prevent progression of disease in patients with established heart disease ie secondary prevention. PEARL CLINIC is an unique initiative inaugurated on sep 29 th 2021 on the eve of world heart day. PEARL CLINIC derives its name from Prevention and EARLy diagnosis of Cardiovascular and other LIfe style diseases by Novel methods and Integrated and Continued care. Yes. We focus on all lifestyle diseases and not just Heart disease as all of them are interlinked and are potentially reversible with similar lifestyle changes.

Need for PEARL CLINIC:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death even in covid times, across the globe. Indians have a higher predilection for heart attacks at an early age – at least a decade earlier than their counterparts elsewhere. We tend to have an extensive disease and unfortunately less number conventional risk factors. Only 50% of those who experience a heart attack have identifiable risk factors. So our idea is to promote lifestyle changes amongst youngsters by identifying the risk factors and heart disease before they manifest.

Who benefits by PEARL CLINIC?

Anyone who has a risk factor for heart disease – High blood pressure , Diabetes mellitus , obesity , Smoking , high cholesterol , strong family history of heart disease , Sedentary life style ( like IT professionals , Bank staffs ) People with fatty liver , polycystic ovarian disease , erectile dysfunction, History of High blood pressure or sugar during pregnancy , Stress disorders , Transplant patients , Chronic Kidney diseases , dental diseases , certain autoimmune /rheumatological conditions , patients with family history of cancer breast , past history of cancer breast.

What’s done in PEARL CLINIC ?

Assessment

• Anthropometric assessment – BMI, Waist-Hip Ratio and skin fold thickness.
• Evaluation of Physical Activity – Flexibility, Strength, Endurance and Balance.
• Comprehensive Diet Assessment, Food Preferences and Food Economics.
• Established Risk Score Assessment for Diabetes and Heart Disease

Consultation

• Group Consultation with YOGA and Naturopathy Doctor for YOGA and breathing exercises.
• Individual consultation with Dietitian for personalized diet prescription.
• Individual consultation with Physiatrist for tailor-made exercise prescription
• Individual consultation with Cardiologist to get an overview of investigations and for final summary

Continued Care

• Feasible plan of action to attain set goals is arrived with individual’s concurrence.
• Periodic follow up (at two, four and twelve weeks) as per plan of action and further modification of lifestyle changes depending on the individual’s ability to adhere to the original plan

Our Plans for the Near Future

Apart from the services offered above we plan to screen cooking demonstration videos, offer suggestions for kitchen gardens and conduct personalised stress management sessions. What are the investigations done under PEARL CLINIC ? Basic blood and urine investigations to assess your risk profile which include complete blood count ,blood grouping ,fasting and postprandial blood sugar , glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1C) ,lipid profile, renal parameters, TSH ,uric acid and microalbuminuria Comprehensive investigations include Homocysteine, hsCRP, Lipoprotein (a), ApoA, Apo B and Small density LDL. Investigations which detect early changes in the blood vessels are done to look for early disease at which stage we can work on halting the disease process. They include Arterial Pulse Wave Velocity , Endothelial function measurement by ENDOPAT and Detection of coronary calcium . Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is done to assess the ability of your heart , lung and muscles during exercise. This test helps us to provide you with a better exercise prescription. The Ultrasound of abdomen gives an idea about visceral fat and Polycystic ovarian disease in females. For details on various PEARL packages please Click Here HARP – Heart Awareness and Rehabilitation Program is an indoor program to assist patients who already have a heart problem

Need for HARP :

The present day medications and procedures like stenting and bypass surgery provide most often symptomatic benefits and are unquestionably warranted in patients with heart attack, to limit the damage to heart muscles as well as in patients with refractory symptoms. However the basic pathology remains unaltered by these measures . The procedures are not largely to prevent future problems. This calls for major life style changes . Moreover , the blockages in the heart vessels might recur in the future in the same or a new site and are at times very troublesome . In some patients , second procedure / surgery might be risky or ineffective . Here lifestyle changes are known to play a pivotal role . So should we wait for problems to recur at all ..?!

Who is eligible for HARP?

If you have had

• A Heart attack
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery
• Interventional procedures such as balloon angioplasty, PTCA, or stent placement
• Peripheral artery disease
• Stroke

We encourage all those who have persistent symptoms following heart attack / stroke / bypass surgery or stenting and those who want to avoid symptoms following an attack / stroke/ any cardiac procedure.

The Beginning :

With a focus on improving the quality of life in cardiac patients , the Cardiology Department, PSG hospitals has developed a 7 day program in which symptomatic Heart Disease patients are given supervised dietary intervention and physical exercise. Apart from the routine cardiac investigations, each patient’s endothelial function is also checked. After the intervention for a period of just 7 days, all the patients have shown an improvement in their endothelial function, reduced symptoms like daily chest pain on exertion, drastically improved blood sugar levels and the reduced requirement of medications. Considering how successful and popular the program has been it has been extended to ten days with introduction of group yoga sessions and relaxation methods. This program is just not for patiens with heart disease, but anyone who has focus on promoting good health can join for healthy living and a sense of well being.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

We have a full fledged rehabilitation team to take care of patients who are admitted with heart attack ( myocardial infarction ) or heart failure . All in- patients are provided whole food plant based diet , there by making it easy for them the same diet at home post discharge .All in-patients get phase 1 physical rehabilitation . At discharge they are offered different packages (weekly once to thrice week) for phase 2 & phase 3 rehabilitation. Interested patients can enroll themselves for yoga program as well. Considering the growing burden of heart disease we have extended our services to the community as well. Some our community based interventions include..

Community program for primary and primordial prevention

We have started a community program VRHHRI (V Rajan Heart Health Initiative) in Mallegoundanpalayam- the ancestral village of Late Shri V Rajan , our former trustee as desired and patronized by his family . As an initial step , we have done complete screening of families who came forward for risk factor screening . Our doctor visits the village twice a week to take care of the basic health needs of the people . From 2022 , we intend to take up interested families for primary prevention program with main focus on promoting healthy cooking habits , promoting kitchen garden and physical activity.

School and college screening program

We follow a comprehensive approach for primordial and primary prevention of heart disease in children, adolescents and young adults through our school and college health program. We provide health education services to students, their parents, teachers and also counsel the administrative staff for offering health diet at the canteen, provide more time for physical activity and have facilities in place for early identification of students with psychological problems.

Industry screening

Unhealthy lifestyle among workers are linked to 66 percent increased risk for loss of productivity in industries. The preventive cardiology has extended its support to industries since 2019 for providing preventive health care. Our services include doing basic investigations, consultation with physiatrist, dietitian and doctor for high risk individuals and health education to all workers. We offer to provide support for changing food pattern in the canteens and creating a work place environment conducive to increase physical acitivity and eliminate sedentary lifestyle

Family screening program

We are introducing this small basic package for family members of people who have suffered a heart attack

Women cardiac screening :

In PEARL clinic , we have introduced the gender specific assessment and investigations for early identification risk factors for heart disease

Our Clinical Team

The Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section includes

• Cardiologist ,
• Preventive care physicians / public health doctor ,
• Nurse and other healthcare professionals from other departments, including:

• Exercise Physiology
• Nutrition Therapy
• Yoga and natural sciences
• Medical social workers

Multidisciplinary treatment strategies with individualized treatment plans with cutting edge risk evaluation are the unique feature of our programs. State-of-the-art monitoring equipment and a variety of exercise equipment are available for your safety and convenience.

How do I enter the program?

Please call up +91-9894097730 to fix up an appointment PEARL CLINIC BROUCHURE