Seminar offers hope for patients with arrhythmiaa

The seminar aimed to raise awareness among the community about arrhythmia and provide updates on advanced therapies such as pacemakers and defibrillators.

Pham Tran Linh, vice president of the Vietnamese Heart Rhythm Society, said, “Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death worldwide. In Vietnam, around 200,000 people die from heart diseases each year, accounting for 33 per cent of total deaths. Among them, arrhythmia is especially dangerous because it can lead to stroke, heart failure, and sudden death.”

He said that the causes of arrhythmia include both external and internal factors. Unhealthy habits such as smoking, alcohol abuse, a high-fat diet, or prolonged stress can increase the risk of the disease. In addition, other risk factors are genetics and underlying diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Kieu Ngoc Dung, head of the Department of Arrhythmology at Cho Ray Hospital, said, “Early detection and treatment play a vital role to avoid dangerous complications. However, patients often ignore early symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, or fainting. In many cases, the disease is only detected with an electrocardiogram or a 24-hour heart rate monitor. Delaying examination and treatment can lead to serious consequences, such as a stroke or death.”

He further noted that arrhythmias affect not only the elderly but also healthy athletes who have collapsed on the football field due to sudden cardiac arrest. This disease can affect anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle.

According to experts, more than 100 medical facilities nationwide have applied the treatment method using pacemakers and defibrillators. A pacemaker sends electrical pulses to your heart to keep it beating regularly and not too slowly. The average lifespan of a pacemaker is 10-15 years, so patients can maintain a normal life without worrying about symptoms such as fainting or heart failure. Meanwhile, an automated defibrillator is designed to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. This device can detect these arrhythmias and give an electric shock to the heart.

Thanks to the health insurance system in Vietnam, patients can have 80-95 per cent of the treatment costs covered, gaining easier access to these advanced treatments.

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