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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.

Water Woes is the Issue

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Launched as a flagship programme of the Maharashtra government, it initially created an impact in some parts of the state. But in a few years it turned out to be a failed scheme. The state government launched the project “Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan” in 2014 in a bid to make Maharashtra a drought-free state by 2019. The scheme targeted drought-prone areas by improving water conservation measures in order to make them more water sustainable. Under the scheme, decentralised water bodies were installed at various locations within villages to enhance the groundwater recharge. It also proposed to strengthen and rejuvenate water storage capacity and percolation of tanks and other sources of storage.


On paper the scheme was excellent, it took off well, but after sometime the much-hyped scheme started losing its impact and eventually it derailed. People from Vidarbha region overwhelmingly supported this scheme. Since 2014, hundreds of villages in Marathwada, Madhya Maharashtra, and especially Vidarbha have experienced droughts for consecutive years. They saw some ray of hope with this scheme introduced by the then BJP government. However, various flaws in planning and implementation came to the fore and people started taking the backseat. Water tanker dependency in many parts remained as it is which had underscored the failure.      


As the Congress party was dead against this scheme right from its inception. One of the first decisions the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government was to stay the Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyaan, a water conservation scheme the previous government launched in 2014, and initiate an investigation into the irregularities in the scheme. The Congress, which was in the opposition when the scheme was launched, had charged the Devendra Fadnavis government with corruption in its implementation.


In addition to this the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in its report submitted in September 2020 after examining the works in some of the villages, suggested further inquiry. On July 22, the four-member inquiry committee set up by the MVA government submitted its report. The committee recommended that 1,000 projects taken up under the scheme should be investigated by the State Anti-Corruption Bureau.


The scheme was to make 5,000 villages free of water scarcity. It also targets drought-prone areas by improving water conservation measures in order to make them more water sustainable. The vital part was to arrest maximum run-off water especially during the monsoon months in village areas known to receive less rainfall annually. Under the scheme, decentralised water bodies were installed at various locations within villages to enhance groundwater recharge. The work of this scheme gathered a lot of dust and became standstill giving the BJP a setback.

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