We rarely think of the muscular organ pumping blood in our bodies every day. For an average person, the heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times in our lifetime. We only remember our cardiac tissue when something is wrong (or love is involved). Dr. Telal Mudawi, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Hadi Clinic had all the answers to our burning questions.

Dr. Mudawi joined Hadi Clinic in May 2017. Before that, he was in the United Kingdom for over two decades, where he held several senior clinical, advisory and leadership positions. Dr. Telal was the National Cardiology Clinical Adviser for the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman. He was also the Divisional Clinical Director for Medical Specialties at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Greater Manchester, in addition to his full-time clinical position as a consultant interventional cardiologist.

His long and illustrious career started because even as a child he was fascinated by the profound impact that heart disease has on families and communities, and because of the immense influence that his input can have in positively transforming the lives of patients.

What is your favorite thing about being a cardiologist?

The feeling that I experience when I see the results of my intervention before my eyes. It is substantially gratifying to watch my patients improve so dramatically after suffering a potentially life-threatening heart condition.

It feels like heart issues are on a rise. Is this true?

Unfortunately, this is true. Coronary artery disease is responsible for about 30% of all adult deaths in Kuwait. Pursuing a sedentary lifestyle together with unhealthy eating and smoking are major contributing factors to this rise. Also, conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol are direct risk factors for coronary artery disease.

What are the most common cardiac issues?

Coronary artery disease, which causes heart attacks and heart muscle damage. Atrial fibrillation, which is an electrical problem that causes irregular heartbeats and can cause brain strokes. Heart failure, which is heart muscle weakness and inability to function properly. This can cause breathing difficulties and leg swelling. These three conditions are manageable, but can be serious or even life- threatening if left untreated.

What are the warning cardiac signs that people should be on the lookout for? And when should someone seek a doctor quickly?

If a person starts to experience uncomfortable heaviness, pain or burning sensation in the centre of the chest while walking or climbing the stairs, this could be a sign of coronary artery disease and a warning that a heart attack could happen in days or weeks. Therefore, medical advice must be sought quickly so the condition gets diagnosed and treated before the heart suffers irreparable damage.

What do you love about working at Hadi Clinic?

The duality of family yet professional atmosphere. We in Hadi deeply care about the welfare of each other and that of our patients. We adopt a holistic approach in managing our patients. Hadi gives me a sense of purpose and belonging to a larger cause. I feel proud to be part of such a caring healthcare organization.

What makes the cardiology department at Hadi Clinic special?

Our purpose is not to merely diagnose patients, give them pills or perform procedures on them. Rather, we aim to help patients transform their lives to the better and tackle the root causes of the problems that caused their heart condition. We give our patients the time they need to express their symptoms and share their concerns. We individually tailor our management strategy to fit each patient, taking their physical and emotional needs into account. We deeply care about regularly following up on our patients to ensure the longevity of our Cathlab results are maintained.

Our ultimate goal is to help each patient use his heart condition as a vehicle for positive lifestyle transformation. Many of my patients have told me that their heart attack was the best thing that happened to them, for without it they would never have discovered what healthy living would have felt like.

What services are available that are exclusive to Hadi Clinic?

The fact that we offer the full range of elective and emergency cardiac services, including clinic consultations, non-invasive imaging modalities, invasive catheter-based coronary intervention, implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators in addition to performing electro-physiological studies and therapies.

We also have a full functioning cardiac care unit that is appropriately equipped to care for unstable cardiac patients 24/7. Furthermore, we have just launched a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program which we aim to expand and develop more.

Could you please explain to our readers what the non-invasive cardiac services are at Hadi Clinic and why these might be beneficial to a patient?

These are the cardiac investigative tools that do not involve inserting catheters or wires onto the heart. We have the full range, including ECG, 24- hour Holter monitoring, external loop recorders, exercise treadmill test, echocardiogram scans of all modalities (standard 2D, contrast and stress), coronary CT scan and cardiac MRI scan. Each one of the above tests serves a specific purpose. The cardiologist decides which test is needed based on the condition of each patient.

What is the 24-hour emergency service and what kind of care will patients get?

A heart attack happens suddenly and unexpectedly, anytime of the day or night. When it does, part of the heart muscle becomes deprived of its blood supply and the patient becomes critically ill very quickly. Every minute that passes thereafter can mean the difference between life and death.

The blocked coronary artery must be unblocked quickly via emergency angioplasty; a life saving procedure that we perform at Hadi Clinic 24/7 with an extremely high success rate. We’ve experienced many occasions when patients’ hearts would stop beating altogether on arrival, yet we would manage to successfully fix the problem and they’d walk out of hospital only days later.

Not only do we manage the patients’ cardiac condition, but we also cater for their emotional wellbeing. We understand the significant psychological impact that can be unleashed by suffering a heart attack. Feelings like fear, anxiety and stress are common after a heart attack, which we handle sensitively, with empathy, care and compassion.

You also offer cardiac rehabilitation, who is this type of care for? And what does it entail?

This service is offered to patients during their convalescent period after the initial medical treatment for a heart attack or heart failure. Cardiac rehabilitation is a structured program that involves supervised physical exercise, gradual optimization of medication dosages in addition to provision of education about healthy living and risk factor modification.

What advice would you give to people to make sure that their hearts stay healthy?

With very few exceptions, it is exceedingly rare for people adopting an active & healthy lifestyle to develop coronary artery disease. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that people must:

• Not smoke.
• Stay active. Daily exercising is even better.
• Eat healthy foods and maintain a healthy weight.
• Ensure they receive adequate treatment and follow up for conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

More importantly, prompt cardiology advice must be sought if symptoms of exertional chest pain develop.

Hadi Clinic is located in Block 8, Jabriya on Road 30. Call to book an appointment: 6688 4053 or book online: www.hadiclinic.com.kw.
For more information follow them on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook @hadiclinickw.