[NYTr] Cuban Success in Heart Rehab Presented at World Forum

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles


Cuban Success in Heart Rehab Presented at World Forum

Havana, Aug 6 (acn) Cuba's achievements in heart patient rehabilitation 
were presented at an Ibero-American conference on the topic recently 
concluded in Panama.

Before representatives of more than 20 countries, Dr. Eduardo Rivas 
Estany, director of the Rehabilitation Center at the Institute of 
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, spoke to the Congress on the 
importance of exercise in the recovery of patient's with heart 
problems, the leading cause of death and premature disability in the 
work force of many countries.

Cuba has a community Heart Rehabilitation Center Program, focusing on 
prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery, which includes treatment 
of children with congenital heart disease. A network of pediatric 
cardiology is currently under development, and has already helped lower 
the infant mortality rate.

Cardiology services are available in all of Cuba's provinces with 
centers using state-of-the-art technology for specialized medial 
treatment.

Dr. Rivas told the ACN news agency that 30 percent of the deaths in 
Cuba are from heart disease, with cardiac ischemia the leader among the 
causes.

Rivas insisted on the importance of prevention, stating that smoking, a 
sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet with lots of fats and carbohydrates 
have all increased the rate of cardiovascular diseases, above all in 
under-developed countries.