A 51-YEAR-OLD Islander whose life was saved by the assiduous care and attention of medical professionals in Jersey and England is helping to raise awareness of heart failure.
Artur Rodrigues was sporty and active before he started feeling tired, short of breath and his ankles swelled up. Things escalated when he started collapsing – and it was then, after being sent to two specialist hospitals in the UK, that he was found to have heart failure.
“If I haven’t had received the help and support from Jersey, Oxford and Harefield, I would not be here today,” said a smiling, obviously exceedingly grateful Artur.
He decided to share his story this week – which is Heart Failure Awareness Week – because of the “great, great job” that those looking after him did.
“I knew how I was feeling then, and now I have my life back” he said.
He goes to the Cardiology Department every month to get his blood pressure and other vitals checked and it is clear he is a much-loved character at the Hospital.
However, he also stands out because of just how sick he was at a relatively young age for the condition.
Heart failure is unlike a heart attack, with its associated chest pains caused by a clot, blockage or disease. Heart failure can occur from a heart attack but it refers to the muscle dying, which severely reduces its pumping action. Artur would have previously had a heart attack, but was unaware of it.
Advance clinical practitioner Sinéad O’Driscoll said: “The strapline for this year’s awareness week is ‘Awareness Today, Prevention Tomorrow’.”
She added: “The symptoms of heart failure are feeling fatigued, fighting for breath, be that when exercising or even minimal exertion. Also, in bed at night, you can wake up suddenly feeling very breathless because you might have developed fluid on your lungs because the heart isn’t pumping us properly as well as it could. As with Artur, fluid retention is also a symptom.
“Heart failure doesn’t mean someone’s heart will stop; it means it is not functioning as it should. Early detection can make all the difference and it is crucial for helping people to live longer, with a better quality of life and requiring less medication.”
She added: “Heart failure affects more than 2,000 people in Jersey and is often preventable but often goes unnoticed until it is too late. We want to make sure that is does not.”
This week, the team will be raising awareness and offering information about cardiac conditions, particularly heart failure, with Islanders.
Last year, the cardiology team saw 179 Islanders at a series of pop-up events, helping to support early identification of symptoms and preventative care.
The team will offer free information and blood pressure and heart rate checks at the:
• General Hospital Outpatients Department tomorrow between 10 am and 2 pm.
• The Central Market, on Friday between 10pm and 2pm.
Key signs and symptoms of heart failure include:
• Fighting for breath
• Feeling fatigued
• Fluid retention (swollen legs).
Risk factors include:
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Excess alcohol consumption
• Poorly controlled blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol.
Islanders can reduce their risk by:
• Getting active
• Eating healthily
• Stopping smoking
• Moderating alcohol consumption
• Knowing their numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc)
