Another Precious Life Cut Short By Cardiac Arrest!

Written by Suman Addepalli in conversation with Dr. Jayesh Dhareshwar

“Shocking death, right in the midst of a work discussion!"…

“Sudden death on a planned holiday with friends!”

In recent months, nearly every passing week has been marked by distressing reports of untimely deaths, caused by unforgiving cardiac arrests.

A couple of days ago, my family too, was jolted to hear about the tragic deaths of two remarkable leaders, both close friends and clients. In their early 50s, both were fit and known for working out along with working hard. Looking at their pictures shortly before the tragedy, you'd never have imagined what was about to happen.

Both the gentlemen I am referring to were highly accomplished leaders, widely respected and beloved. Due to the recentness of these events, I am refraining from mentioning their names to prevent causing any unintended pain for their grief-stricken families. These reports have also triggered memories of the passing of cherished actors Puneeth Rajkumar, Siddharth Shukla, and singer KK, who were in a similar age bracket and shared comparable levels of fitness, if not greater. Not only their families, the news of many such recent cardiac arrests have left everyone perplexed and uneasy.

Like others who've come across these reports, I too felt very anxious and had a multitude of questions: Why is there such a prevalence of shocking - untimely cardiac arrests and sudden deaths? Could the complex and side-effect-inducing Covid-19 virus be a contributing factor?

I had a conversation with the highly skilled Dr Jayesh Dhareshwar , a proficient Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon based in Mumbai, who enlightened me with the following perspectives. This article stems from the notes I jotted down during my call with him. My intention was to capture every detail to share it accurately with my dear ones. However, I soon developed the notes into this piece, as I felt these insights can be valuable to all readers. To enhance readability, I've organized the content in a question-and-answer format.

Q: Are all these deaths a repercussion of Covid-19? Or perhaps it's a consequence of the vaccine, which was rolled out on a massive scale to save lives, after undergoing only preliminary testing?

?Dr Jayesh: ?“We believe that almost everyone has been infected with the virus in the last 3 years, regardless of whether they underwent testing, or were conscious of it. However, as medical professionals, we had encountered a significant number of cardiac arrests within the same age bracket even before the Covid era. But those incidents did not receive the same level of publicity that news channels and social media can generate today, especially when it involves celebrities and business leaders.

It is very plausible that Covid-19 (the virus and the vaccine to prevent it) have had some disruptive effects on the human body. However, drawing such a conclusion at this point is premature, given the lack of comprehensive statistics to support it. Even if a noticeable pattern were beginning to surface, I remain sceptical whether pharmaceutical companies and local authorities would share this information in the near future.

Again, these are just guesses and I repeat, many of my cardiac surgeon friends, including me, have observed a comparable frequency of cardiac arrests since the beginning of our practice. Do realise, that the population of India has really increased slightly over 1.428 billion (from a billion in 2000), edging past China's population of 1.425 billion as on April 2023. ?Although it might seem like there's a spike in the number of deaths, the reality is that the ratios haven't changed all that much. It's just the massive scale playing tricks on our perception.

?Q: Then what is it? Could it be the polluted environment—air, food or water—that surrounds us?

Dr Jayesh: ?The same causative factors persist, and work together— modern-day lifestyles, sedentary habits, insufficient sleep, poor dietary choices, environmental pollution, a lack of mindfulness, high stress levels, and the compulsion to accomplish too much within limited timeframes.

While this line won’t fit in the bracket of motivational quotes, the truth is that ‘the human body possesses inherent limitations.’ I will give you my own example. I've deliberately curtailed travel due to the toll it exacts on my physical well-being. Both, my wife, Dr Gouri Pantvaidya (an Onco-Surgeon) and I have realised that while our work doesn't stress us out, commuting to and fro hospitals during peaks hours, definitely does. Consequently, we make a conscious effort to alleviate stress in this aspect of our lives. Everyone has to introspect about the stress causing factors in their lives and learn how to manage them.

Q: Is cholesterol, then, to blame? Or is it the well-known yet often unacknowledged 'devil' we all experience, in the form of stress?

Dr Jayesh: ?Regarding cholesterol, it was a significant threat. However, it is now a known threat, even genetically inherited at times, which can be controlled to a large extent with a good diet and exercise plan. A huge factor we've noticed in even seemingly healthy individuals who experience fatal attacks is 'inflammation' which plays more havoc than plaque. There are many factors causing inflammation in many organs of our body, not just our arteries and hearts.

Vegans often point to dairy as a source of inflammation and attribute its harmful effects to the hormones injected into cows and buffaloes to increase yields. While this holds true, there are other factors like the chemicals, pesticides and hormones used in all food production methods, present even in the water we drink, that also play a role.

This leaves us in a dilemma. Not everyone can abandon city living to cultivate their own vegetables or drink pure water directly from the sources of our rivers. We must rely on each other and make wise decisions collectively.

I wish to add here that stress is a formidable and often unnoticed danger. It has an absolute power to trigger inflammation within any body. It's crucial to adopt the correct strategies, allowing your body and mind the necessary respite between demanding work periods. Stress on its own, even with a good diet, can cause inflammation in a young and healthy body. You need to do all the right things – to ensure your body and your mind gets rest between two intensive sessions of work.

Q: Why are so many achievers and leaders succumbing to cardiac arrests?

Dr Jayesh: ?Many of the recent high-profile deaths reported in the media have involved remarkable achievers, often unwilling to give themselves a break. They are responsible for vast operations, substantial budgets, livelihoods of thousands, leaving them zero time off from their immense work stress. Our bodies aren't designed to sustain constant stress without a pause.

Being attentive to how you allocate your working hours and your moments of leisure, is vital. Relaxation won't occur automatically; you need to consciously make the appropriate choices.

It's essential to recognize that by periodically and responsibly granting your mind and body rest, you're actually benefiting both: those who rely on you personally and those you serve professionally.?

Q: Where does that leave us, the laypeople?

Dr Jayesh: ?Most of us have a good understanding of what we should consume and the level of physical activity we should engage in. While it's unlikely for anyone to achieve perfection, if we make an effort, we can still attain around 70% success. This is true even for doctors, but 70-80% is good enough. This is far better than not taking any action at all.

In Conclusion:

Following my conversation with Dr. Jayesh, I did some more research, mainly to make the article more comprehensive to share in the public domain.

In India, we've managed to surge ahead of many other cultures, thanks to our strong connection with mindfulness, yoga and meditation. For those who may not find resonance with these practices, it becomes important to commit to regular holidays and utilize them for 'genuine relaxation.'

According to a 2018 Vacation Deprivation report from the travel portal Expedia, Indians hold the unfortunate title of being the most vacation-deprived individuals globally, often foregoing their vacation days. Don't let yourself become a part of this disheartening statistic, even if your company seems to shower you with accolades for not taking leave, ever.

Vacations are meant to be a time to unwind and let go of stress. If you find yourself remaining chained to work and constantly connected online, the objective is defeated for yourself and your dear ones. As the saying goes, no one is irreplaceable. While your absence at work can be filled quickly, the negative effects of stress on you and your family can be irreversible.

It's crucial not to let time slip away or get so caught up in one part of our lives that we end up being short-changed of the time we're meant to spend here.

Another simple truth that we often acknowledge yet somehow let slip from our thoughts, is that: we have only one body and heart to pursue our dreams. If we are certain that dedicating a disproportionate amount of time to work (or just one goal) would rob our loved ones of our companionship, how many of us would continue living as we do?

As we reflect on these ideas it's worth asking: what adjustments will you make in your own life after reading what Dr Jayesh has shared??

Speaking for myself: I commit to fix the hours I work from home, which currently spill into midnight, since there is no official cut-off. I’m also dedicating an hour each day to meditation, scheduling it consistently, rather than adjusting it according to work pressures.

I’m curious to learn what changes you are going to make, and if this article has sparked any ideas for you.