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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Cold wave triggers spike in cardiac arrests

Mumbai : As winter temperatures go for a spin across the country, hospitals are witnessing a significant surge of around 25-30 pc in cardiac emergencies, a top cardiologist said.   According to Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Hemant Khemani of Apex Group of Hospitals, cold air directly affects how the heart functions.   “Low temperatures make blood vessels tighten. When the arteries narrow, blood pressure shoots up and the heart has to work harder to push the blood through the stiffened...

Cold wave triggers spike in cardiac arrests

Mumbai : As winter temperatures go for a spin across the country, hospitals are witnessing a significant surge of around 25-30 pc in cardiac emergencies, a top cardiologist said.   According to Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Hemant Khemani of Apex Group of Hospitals, cold air directly affects how the heart functions.   “Low temperatures make blood vessels tighten. When the arteries narrow, blood pressure shoots up and the heart has to work harder to push the blood through the stiffened vessels,” said Dr. Khemani.   Elaborating on the direct effects of cold air on heart functioning, he said that low temperatures make blood vessels tighten, when arteries narrow, blood pressure shoots up and the heart must work harder to push blood through stiffened vessels.   Winter also thickens the blood, increasing the likelihood of clot formation and these combined effects create a dangerous ‘demand-supply mismatch’ for oxygen, especially in people with existing heart conditions.   This trend has caused concern among cardiologists as it adds to India’s already heavy cardiovascular diseases burden – with nearly one in four deaths linked to heart and blood vessel problems.   Dr. Khemani said that sudden temperature transitions - from warm rooms to chilly outdoors - can put additional strain on the heart and risks. “This abrupt shift loads the cardiovascular system quickly, raising the risk of a sudden (cardiac) event among vulnerable individuals.”   Lifestyle Patterns Added to these are the changes in lifestyle patterns during winter month that further amplify the danger. Most people reduce physical activities, eat richer foods, and often gain weight all of which combine to raise cholesterol levels, disrupt blood-sugar balance and push up blood pressure.   Complicating matters for the heart are the social gatherings during the cold season that tends to bring higher intake of smoking and alcohol, said Dr. Khemani.   Recommending basic preventive measures, Dr. Khemani said the chest, neck and hands must be kept warm to prevent heat loss, maintain a steady body temperature and reduce the chances of sudden blood pressure spikes, a low-salt diet, home-cooked meals, shot indoor walks post-eating, adequate hydration and at least seven hours of sleep.   He warns against ignoring warning signals such as chest discomfort, breathlessness, unexplained fatigue, or sudden sweating, pointing out that “early medical care can significantly limit heart damage and improve survival.”   The rise in winter heart risks is not unique to India and even global health agencies like World Health Federation and World Health Organisation report similar patterns.   The WHF estimates that more than 20 million people die of heart-related causes each year - equal to one life lost every 1.5 seconds, and the WHO has listed heart disease as the world’s leading cause of death for five consecutive years.   Seniors affected more by winter chills  Cold weather can hit the heart at any age, but the risk is noticeably higher for men aged above  45 and in women after 55, with the highest danger curve in people over 60, and elders with co-morbidities and history of heart diseases.   “People with existing cardiac problems face greater trouble in winter as the heart has to work harder. Even those without known heart disease can sometimes experience winter heart attacks, as chilly conditions may expose hidden blockages or trigger problems due to sudden exertion, heavy meals, smoking or dehydration,” Dr. Khemani told  ‘ The Perfect Voice’ .   However, contrary to perceptions, cold-weather heart issues have no connection to the COVID-19 vaccine, nor is there any scientific evidence linking the two, he assured.

Unguided Missile

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Vijay Wadettiwa

Vijay Wadettiwar is the leader of opposition in the outgoing Maharashtra Leagislative Assembly. He is extremely aggressive in the house when he exposes the treasury benches and tears apart their arguments. However, he is equally calm and very balanced whenever he meets party workers and guides them to help them resolve various issues that they bring to him. This way he makes a very good mix of leadership qualities that the party like Congress needs today.


Born in 1962 at a small village named Karaji in Gondpimpri taluka of Chandrapur district, Wadettiwar ventured into politics as a student leaders who led several of the students’ agitations in early 80’s.

His natural choice even in those days was the NSUI. However, as he advanced into the politics after completing college, he joined the Shiv Sena. His aggressive nature suited the Shiv Sena style of politics and he made good progress within the party at an early age.


He was nominated to the Zilla Parishad (ZP) by the party in 1991 and in 1995 when the party came to power in the state for the first time he was entrusted with the responsibility as chairperson of the forest development corporation. The post had the status of minister of state.


Wadettiwar was sent to the legislative council by the party in 1998. And he contested assembly election for the first time from Chimur constituency of Chandrapur district in 2004.


He was among the 11 MLAs who left Shiv Sena along with former CM Narayan Rane in 2005 to join the Congress. In 2008 he was entrusted with the responsibilities of the environment, forests, tribal welfare and water resources as the minister of state. Within a year the government had to face elections and Wadettiwar returned to assembly with and enhanced support. Between 2009 and 2014 he was minister of state for water resources, energy, finance and planning and parliamentary affairs. In 2014 when the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance came to power in the state he was made deputy leader of the house by the Congress party and after the then leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil joined the BJP, Wadettiwar became the leader of opposition in the state assembly.


Meanwhile, Narayan Rane, along with whom Wadettiwar had joined the Congress, quit the party to join BJP. However, Wadettiwar remained with the Congress and became the disaster management minister Under Uddhav Thackeray in 2019. After the government collapsed in 2022 he became the leader of opposition yet again.


Wadettiwar is outspoken in his nature and gets involved in one or the other controversy all the time. However, this makes him a polarizing figure in Maharashtra politics.

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