Introduction 

Heart disease refers to a variety of ailments that can harm the cardiovascular system. Every type of cardiac disease is brought on by a specific set of factors. To diagnose heart disease, your doctor may request a variety of tests including physical exams, blood tests, ECG, stress tests, MRI, CT scans, cardiac catheterization, coronary angiography, etc. When symptoms start to appear, you might need to consult further specialists to discover the underlying cause. Common symptoms of heart disorders include chest pain, tightness, shortness of breath, neck ache, pain in the jaws and throat, chest pressure, angina, etc.

This blog contains a brief account of the seven heart conditions which can be treated in a telemedicine visit.

What is telemedicine?

Telehealth is the delivery of medical services and knowledge via electronic communication and information technology. It enables remote admissions as well as long-distance patient and clinician interaction, care, guidance, and reminders.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns and the need for healthcare had people drawn toward telemedicine. Considering the convenience and comfort, even after the pandemic, people continued to rely on it.  Telemedicine in Pakistan also gained popularity at this time by providing quality healthcare to people in need. 

 

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7 Heart Conditions That Can Be Treated in a Telemedicine Visit

Telemedicine has been gaining popularity all around the world, especially for the treatment and management of chronic diseases which require long-term care. Using telemedicine for heart diseases can greatly assist patients in symptom improvement, functional capability, quality of life improvement, patient empowerment, reduced hospitalization, death reduction, and economic and logistical burden reduction. 

Following are the seven heart conditions that can be treated in a telemedicine visit.

1. Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease refers to a variety of structural issues with the heart that has existed since birth. Congenital refers to a condition that you are born with. Both adults and children with congenital heart disease may experience altered blood flow via the heart. Research conducted in Pakistan concluded that every year more than 60,000 babies are born with congenital heart diseases. 

Congenital cardiac abnormalities are common. There are several milder forms of congenital cardiac disease. Complicated disorders could result in potentially fatal issues. However, improvements in diagnosis and care are extending the lives of those with congenital cardiac disease.

Congenital heart disease patients require lifetime medical treatment. Regular checkups (watchful waiting), medicine, or surgery are all possible forms of treatment. Continued treatments tend to overwhelm the patients which is why many adults with congenital heart disease may not frequently visit a specialist due to the burden of scheduling and driving to medical visits. 

Patients can consult a professional through telemedicine while relaxing at home. Through a secure video chat, patients can discuss their symptoms and vital signs with doctors, who can then review and revise the patient’s treatment plan.

2. Hypertension

Hypertension, which in layman’s terms is called high blood pressure, is a condition in which the average blood pressure of an individual is elevated. The levels of blood pressure depend on the levels of activity. Since blood pressure is not constant throughout the day, to diagnose someone with hypertension, it is important to take the average reading.

According to Pakistan’s National Health Survey, 33% of adults over the age of 45 and 18% of adults overall have hypertension. According to another study, 18% of Pakistanis have hypertension.

The tricky part in the diagnosis of hypertension is that there are usually no warning signs of it until it has caused serious damage. The problem of hypertension is prevalent in older age. Poor lifestyle, decreased physical activity, and other medical problems like obesity and diabetes can contribute to increased blood pressure. Hypertension can develop in pregnant females as well.

Using the modern devices, patients can easily communicate their blood pressure measurements via telemedicine with medical professionals. These professionals can subsequently modify the patient’s blood pressure medication and suggest additional lifestyle modifications or diagnostic procedures. With certain “smart” blood pressure monitors, measurements are directly recorded to an app, making it simple for users to exchange data with their physicians. Telemonitoring of blood pressure, according to research, may enhance patient health while lowering expenditures.

 

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3. Heart Failure

Heart failure, or in scientific terms, myocardial infarction, is a condition where the heart muscle is unable to pump blood as efficiently as it should. When arteries that are responsible for the transport of blood to the tissues of the heart fail to transport blood to a portion of the heart muscle, it damages that part. Continued damage leads to the death of these cardiac tissues, limiting the functionality of the heart. 

Heart failure leads to another significant problem which is the accumulation of fluid in the lungs. This is characterized by frequent shortness of breath. Diseases like coronary artery disease and hypertension can lead to the stiffness and weakening of heart muscles which decreases the ability of the heart to efficiently pump blood throughout the body.

Taking assistance from telemedicine in case of heart failure can give you immediate attention. Long termed management can be bought out by using a Bluetooth-equipped (wireless) blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, and scale. Telemedicine consultation can assist patients in preventing readmissions to the hospital as well.

 

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4. Heart Surgery Recovery

The type of surgery you have and your general health will determine how long you should anticipate recuperating. There are some broad recommendations, but your surgeon will be able to give you the most accurate prediction of how long your recovery will take.

An average hospital stay following open-heart surgery is four to five days. Following hospital discharge, it typically takes six to eight weeks for your breastbone and chest muscles to heal as you gradually reintroduce your regular daily activities.

The average hospitalization for less invasive operations like stent installation or ablation, which scars or removes tissue linked to irregular cardiac rhythms, is only one night. These treatments often require up to a month of at-home recuperation.

During the time of recovery, the patients require continued care and have to keep an eye on their signs and symptoms to ensure that the procedure they had is reacting well to their bodies. With the help of telemedicine consultation, you can decrease the odds of emergency room visits after the surgery.

5. Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation is a condition in which the heart’s top chambers (atria) contract erratically and occasionally so quickly that the heart muscle is unable to fully relax in between contractions. This decreases the efficiency and performance of the heart.

When aberrant electrical impulses in the atria abruptly start firing, atrial fibrillation occurs. This disrupts the working of the natural pacemaker of the heart creating irregularities in the heartbeat.

Although the exact origin is unknown, it tends to impact particular demographics, including the elderly and those who have long-term (chronic) problems including obesity, high blood pressure, or heart disease.

For the treatment of atrial fibrillation, data on heart rhythm at regular intervals is required. You can measure it yourself using smart watches or other gadgets with sensors that are specially designed for the measurement of heart rhythms. Your telemedicine expert can utilize this data to check the efficacy of your current treatment and can alter your drug dosage accordingly.

 

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6. Heart Attack Recovery

After a heart attack, it takes time to recover your strength and heart muscle. Because of this, the majority of medical professionals advise heart attack survivors to participate in cardiac rehabilitation, an organized program that mixes education and exercise. 

Cardiac rehabilitation can be difficult to keep up with along with all the medications and examinations for heart attack survivors. In this case, telemedicine can provide a convenient and doable means to access cardiac rehabilitation. You can access the lessons and exercises at your own pace and convenience. You can also consult healthcare professionals in the meantime via video chats. 

7. Pacemaker and ICD Monitoring

Pacemakers are small devices that are used for the regulation of the heartbeat and signals when the heartbeat is alarmingly low. These devices are implanted in the chest of cardiac patients through surgery. 

Another device called implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is also implanted in the chest of cardiac patients. ICD not only monitors irregular heartbeats but also treats them. ICD devices are designed to produce electric shocks on the onset of abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) which helps the heart to return to a normal rhythm.

Many ICDs and pacemakers are available today that automatically record patients’ heart rhythm data and can send that data to a home monitoring system. With the use of technology, patients can communicate important information to their healthcare practitioners from the comfort of their own homes. The medical staff might modify the treatment plan or suggest an online or in-person consultation if recurrent heart rhythm problems are observed.

Conclusion

Heart diseases require long-termed and constant care. Many of these diseases can be treated and managed with regular telemedicine visits. Sehat Kahani is a credible platform you can rely on with your cardiac issues. At Sehat Kahani, we have numerous qualified and skilled cardiologists who can help you with the both long and short-term management of heart diseases.

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