On 04 Jan, 2025, Seniors Today hosted their weekly Health Live Webinar with a Senior interventional cardiologist, Dr Atul Limaye who spoke on and answered questions about Managing your Heart Health in 2025.
About Dr Atul Limaye:
Dr Atul Limaye is a US trained interventional cardiologist with decades of niche expertise in diagnosing and treating cardiac diseases.
Prior to coming to India, Dr Limaye was a Consultant in Interventional Cardiology at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York until 2016. Dr Limaye is able to dissect complex clinical cases and identify the key competing drivers of an individual’s cardiac ailment. He is able to chart out the most suitable and effective medications or minimal invasive treatment solutions individualised to the particular patient. His expertise encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic or coronary artery disease; heart failure, abnormal heartbeat or arrhythmia; rheumatic heart disease and heart valve disorders. His practical experience in advising on the right medications and prescribing major lifestyle changes to his patients effectively has endeared him to them over the years.
Dr Limaye also leads the TAVI program at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, one of the very few selected centres in India with a high level of cardiac and heart surgery experience that has the expertise and advanced equipment required to perform this procedure.
Apart from excelling in coronary and TAVI procedures, Dr Limaye has broad interests beyond Coronary interventions. He is highly skilled in structural heart interventions such as mitral balloon valvotomies and closure devices. He is adept at peripheral interventions including renal stenting and treating all lower limb vascular occlusions (including atherectomy, shock wave lithotripsy and stenting). He is a national proctor for rotational atherectomy (Coronary Rotablation)—a complex procedure with a steep learning curve. Dr Limaye is a distinguished member of the Royal College of Physicians, London, American Board certified Interventional Cardiologist with Fellowships from world-renowned hospitals and medical universities in the US and UK.
Dr Limaye did his Cardiology training in New York followed by a dedicated additional year of Interventional Cardiology at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. He is also trained in Non-Invasive Cardiology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Dr Limaye believes that while it is critical to have the skill set to do complex interventions; it is just as important to know when not to do a particular procedure and pursue optimal medical therapy only.
Areas of Expertise: Management of heart disease with medicines only (when appropriate), Coronary Interventions (Stenting for heart attacks and refractory angina), Rotablation, Shock Wave lithotripsy, Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) and OCT, TAVI (Trans catheter valve implantation), Valvuloplasty, Congenital Heart Defect closures with devices, Congestive Heart failure, Treatment of advanced heart failure, Mechanical circulatory support devices (VA-ECMO, Impella), Pacemakers and ICD/CRT devices.
The heart is the most hard working muscle of our body and it is supplied by 3 main arteries which supply oxygen rich blood to the heart itself- called the coronary arteries. And therefore, if any of these arteries gets blocked, you have what is called a heart attack, because the blood supply to that portion of the heart supplied by the coronary artery gets leading to lack of blood flow to that region of the heart and thereby leading to a heart attack.
These blockages are formed by plaque build up which are made up of cholesterol and calcium build up. When you have enough of these plaques and blockages, they lead to occlusion of the arteries and can result in a heart attack.
These fatty plaques and cholesterol deposits start from as early as 2 years of age.
The heart is in pristine condition when one is born and therein as you grow, depending on your habits, cholesterol levels, risk factors, etc. these plaques start to develop by the 3rd decade of one’s life.
It is not only the heart that is affected by the atherosclerotic build up, but also the brain and the veins of the lower limb leading to stroke in the brain and claudication and leg pain in the lower limb.
There are about 12 million deaths annually due to heart attacks. And there is an alarming increase in the number of deaths due to heart attacks.
Risk factors for heart diseases include:
- High cholesterol levels
- High blood pressure
- Uncontrolled diabetes- diabetic individuals have a 2-3 fold higher risk of developing a heart attack/ stroke. In fact 80% of diabetics will eventually pass away due to a heart disease
- Smoking- this not only increases the blood pressure but also decreases the good cholesterol and damages the artery and blood cells
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
Some other non modifiable factors include:
- Family history
- Genetic predisposition
The Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is the bad cholesterol
The High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is the good cholesterol
When you get your lipid profile done, it iss important that you keep a check on your LDL levels.
4 takeaways rules for your heart health:
Rule no. 1: Look before you eat
- It is advised that you consume a large Kitna of fruits and vegetables. The more colourful your plate looks, the better it is.
- Eat more millets such as bajra and johar which is known to have a lower glycemic index and are felt to be better sources for carbohydrates than polished rice and wheat
- Try to eliminate refined meats and replace chicken with fish as much as you can
- Do not replace your low fats with refined carbohydrates
- Avoid refined carbohydrates which can be done by reducing rice, potatoes and rice and potato items and products
- Avoid soft drinks, potato chips, junk food, processed foods
- Avoid bottled fruit juices
- Eat less salt
- Foods rich in cholesterol and saturated fats should therefore be avoided in your day-to-day meal – egg yolk, red meats such as mutton, butter chicken, battered fish, milk fats such as ghee, butter, cheese, malai, cakes
- Cooking oils- you should use one that is a good mix of mono and poly unsaturated fats. It is felt that rice bran oil, sunflower oil gives a good mix of MUFAs and PUFAs
Rule no. 2: Exercise
- It is a strong and powerful medicine in itself
- Regular exercise can half your risk of developing a heart disease
- It can also bring your blood pressure down by 20 mm of Hg
- You don’t need complicated machines, 1 hour off brisk walking can burn as much as 275 KCal. You can increase the intensity of your exercise
- 30 mins of walking 5 times a week is advised
Rule no. 3: Stop using tobacco and tobacco products
- Tobacco in all its forms is injurious to health
Rule no. 4: Know your numbers- this includes your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar numbers
- Know your fasting lipid profile
- Your cholesterol should ideally be less than 200
- HDL should be more than 40
- LDL should ideally be less than 100
- Triglycerides should be less than 200
- You should get your lipid profile done periodically
- You should also know your blood pressure. You will not always have symptoms
- Blood sugar – fasting sugar should be less than 100 and your 2 hour post meal blood sugar should be less than 140 mg/dL
