Tag: (AKUH)

Karachi, October 20, 2022 (PPI-OT):​In the early morning of 22 November 2021, 75-year-old Mehrunisa (pseudonym) came to the emergency department of a private hospital in Karachi with a complaint of pain in the right hip. History and examination revealed that the patient slipped in the bathroom while performing Wu’doo for Fajar prayers. An X-ray confirmed the fracture of the right hip.

Mehrunisa’s daughter and brother were counselled for surgery. The cardiac team and anaesthesia team came on board, to evaluate the risk of mortality of the patient. She moved to the operating room for the surgery.

Like Mehrunisa, every day several elderlies with hip fractures get admitted to different hospitals across the country. Hip fractures are a major cause of prolonged hospital admissions and lead to serious health conditions in the elderly population.

Now the question arises, why do our senior citizens suffer from fractures more frequently? The reason is that after the fifth decade of life, demineralization of the bone starts and as we enter the middle of sixth decade of life, bones get porous, demineralized, and fragile.

This condition is called Osteoporosis. Fragility fractures are fractures that result from a mechanical force that would not ordinarily cause fractures, known as low-level or low trauma or a fall from a standing height or less.

Osteoporosis is an asymptomatic condition that often remains silent until it manifests as a low-trauma fracture of the hip, spine, arm, pelvis, and/or wrist, which frequently leads to hospitalization. Evidence reports that after the first osteoporotic fracture, the risk of a second fracture grows up to 50%. Half of all women and 1/4th of all men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetimes.

Women are four times as likely as men to develop the disease. Smoking, nutritional deficiency of calcium and vitamin D, hormonal changes that occur in men and women after 50 years of age, obesity and family history of old age fractures are the main contributors to osteoporosis and fragility fractures.

Osteoporosis-related fractures can increase pain, disability, nursing home placement, total health care costs, and fatal medical complications. Generally, older adults would experience significant functional dependency for varying amounts of time and undergo extensive rehabilitation therapies. Post-fracture time is highly stressful for the family in terms of physical, psychological, and financial burdens.

People who have already suffered from osteoporotic fractures should visit a Rheumatologist, a bone specialist or a Family Physician for further treatment. Fracture risk scoring is important in osteoporotic fractures patients as well as in healthy adults after the age of 50 years and initiation of osteoporotic treatment is the key to preventing elderly fractures.

The care burden period after hip fracture often prolongs to six months or beyond. It is also highly associated with older people confined to bed, which can lead to serious health complications. Seeing their loved ones dependent on daily activities is heart breaking for families and leaves deep emotional and psychological scars.

Age alone may break your bone, but a little care will save you

For a better quality of life in old age, it is important to take some precautions that save our bones. You should make regular exercise a part of daily life, take brisk walks, go out with your neighbours to a nearby park, or even participate in household activities like going for groceries daily.

Milk, yoghurt, spinach, lentils, beans, salmon, and tuna should be a part of your diet. As the person gets older the muscles lose strength, the coordination between muscles and movement reduces, and our body may need support in getting up from the bed or chair.

To reduce the risk of accidents/falls it would be helpful to take some precautions, such as putting a handle beside your bed, keeping a good record of your eye check-ups, avoiding roaming around if the power is off, and not walking on wet floors. Longevity of life is a blessing. Make your days more productive and happier by taking care of yourself!

For more information, contact:
Marketing and Communications,
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH)
Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi – 74800, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-111-911-911
Email: akuh.information@aku.edu
Website: https://hospitals.aku.edu/pakistan/

Karachi, October 07, 2022 (PPI-OT):​A new state-of-the-art Diagnostic Centre was inaugurated at the Aga Khan Hospital, Garden, on Thursday. This new and improved Diagnostic Centre brings all outpatient services offered by the hospital under one roof. This purpose-built building is physically connected to the existing hospital, which will ensure greater ease and convenience for our patients.

The new Diagnostic Centre is designed as a patient-centric, modern healthcare facility. The facility is bright and spacious, with organised and dedicated patient flow paths, more comfortable waiting areas, and purpose-designed clinics and procedure rooms to enhance the experience and satisfaction of our patients.

The services offered at the new facility will include consulting clinics, a pharmacy, physiotherapy, laboratories, radiology, a cafeteria, and the Patient Welfare Office. Among the dignitaries present at the inauguration ceremony was AKU President, Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin, who congratulated all the teams involved for accomplishing this project.

“We are celebrating our commitment to continuously improve our facilities and services, and this new diagnostic centre is a strong testament to that commitment to enhancing patient care and experience.” said, Dr Shahabuddin.

Congratulating the teams for their work, Dr Shahid Shafi, Chief Executive Officer, The Aga Khan University Hospitals, Pakistan, commented, “we are incredibly excited to bring these services to our patients in the local community and to engage them in preventive care, early diagnosis and treatment, all under one roof.”

Describing the new and improved facility, Dr Mairaj Shah, Chief Operating Officer, The Aga Khan Secondary Hospitals, Pakistan, said, “The greatest benefit that AKHW, Garden is going to reap from this new Diagnostic Centre is its proximity and physical connection with the existing hospital building. Its spacious and purpose-built design will enhance patient, as well as provider, satisfaction, and experience.”

Located at Garden, near the Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum, the hospital was commissioned in 1967 under the Aga Khan Health Services, Pakistan. It was integrated with the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, in 2010. The hospital has since become ISO 9001-2015 certified and provides quality care to women and children through its inpatient and urgent care services for mothers and children as well as outpatient clinics for men and women of all ages.​

The Aga Khan Hospital, Garden, also offers welfare and Zakat support for indigent patients who are otherwise unable to pay for their medical services. This support ensures that all our patients have access to quality care, irrespective of their financial capacity.

The Aga Khan University Hospitals and the AKU Outreach Health Network, Pakistan have a robust Patient Welfare and Zakat programme. In 2021 alone, 950,000 patients received financial support worth PKR 3.7 billion, giving them access to AKUH services across our network, present in over 100 cities in Pakistan.

For more information, contact:
Marketing and Communications,
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH)
Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi – 74800, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-111-911-911
Email: akuh.information@aku.edu
Website: https://hospitals.aku.edu/pakistan/

Karachi, September 29, 2022 (PPI-OT):‘Heart attack’, ‘heart disease’, ‘heart failure’ – all are commonly used words in Pakistani households. The reason is heart disease is the second biggest cause of death in Pakistan making preventing heart disease an important healthcare priority.

This is the reason, while globally September 29th is celebrated as World Hearth Day, the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Pakistan, celebrates the whole month of September as “Heart Month” – bringing focus on creating awareness about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Preventing Heart Disease

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle goes a long way in mitigating heart diseases and ensuring you continue to lead a healthy life without any heart complications. Commit to the below for a healthy heart:

Eat a healthy diet including fruits and vegetable, whole grains and lean proteins.

Exercise at least 3-4 times a week with a combination of strength training, cardio and stretching exercises.

Control your weight. Being overweight or obese significantly increases the likelihood of cardiac diseases and disorders.

Quit smoking and avoid tobacco consumption.

Regularly consult your doctor to mitigate any potential risks and timely diagnosis.

Take AKUH’s Heart Walk Challenge

Know the Warning Signs

While a heart attack can occur at any given time, there are some symptoms that should alert you to go see a doctors. These include:

Chest pain or fluttering, tightness or pressure in the chest or discomfort in the chest

Shortness of breath

Pain in the neck, jaw or throat

Pain in the upper belly or back

Pain, numbness or weakness in your limbs

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Fainting

Slow or fast heartbeat

Constant fatigue or getting tired too quickly

Diagnosis and Treatment for Heart Diseases

Heart diseases and disorders are diagnosed in a variety of ways. Blood tests and chest X-rays determine your overall heart health before any treatment, hence it’s important to consult your doctor regularly to monitor your heart health and watch out for any worrisome signs.

Being Pakistan’s first JCI-accredited academic medical centre, AKUH is equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment facilities for patients with cardiac diseases. Our diagnostic facilities include a dedicated cardio-pulmonary unit offering trusted quality services, while our recently updated cath lab offers all interventional procedures such as angiography and angioplasty.

At AKUH we also have a dedicated Cardiac Care Unit, an ICU for cardiac patients who need specialized care while they recover from life-threatening conditions, including heart attacks.

For more information, contact:
Marketing and Communications,
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH)
Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi – 74800, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-111-911-911
Email: akuh.information@aku.edu
Website: https://hospitals.aku.edu/pakistan/

Karachi, September 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, inaugurated four newly renovated Operating Rooms (ORs) designed to provide cutting-edge treatments and procedures to patients. The inauguration ceremony, held at the AKUH’s Main Stadium Road Campus, was attended by President Dr Suleiman Shahabuddin, VP Finance and CFO, Ms. Shagufta Hassan, CEO, Dr Shahid Shafi, Dean, Dr Adil Haider, Chair Department of Anaesthesiology, Dr Asad Latif, along with other chairs, department heads and management of the University Hospital.

These four inaugurated ORs were completely renovated from scratch to meet higher international standards and best practices. The newly renovated ORs include isolated room air handling systems and Hepa filters, while two new ORs are also equipped with Holmium and CO2 lasers, features which will allow better care to the patient as well as procedures not offered earlier. Renovation work will start in other ORs in the next few months as well.

On the occasion, President AKU, Dr Suleiman Shahabuddin, congratulated all the teams involved for successfully concluding the renovation project and lauded their hard work and dedication. Dr Shahabuddin also emphasized the importance of maintenance of existing facilities and infrastructure to enhance patient satisfaction and service levels, as the University Hospital nears four decades of operations.

Congratulating the work done by everyone involved, from the OR Team to the Design, Construction, and Procurement teams, CEO AKUH, P, Dr Shahid Shafi commented, that this renovation process was entirely led by the end users, the OR team, who worked collaboratively with different stakeholders to manage the entire project.

“What makes us different in our approach is how we take care of our patients,” said Dr Shafi while addressing how the newly renovated ORs enable AKUH to contribute towards enhanced patient care and safety. Dr Asad Latif, Chair Department of Anaesthesiology, which manages OR Operations, spoke about the collaborative planning and challenges involved in the renovation project without compromising patient care during renovation. He thanked all the stakeholders involved in the project for their continuous support.

AKUH’s operating rooms can cater to all surgical patients, including those with planned (elective) and emergency procedures. The University Hospital also offers same-day surgeries in a separate surgical day-care section, which has an additional suite for patients to recuperate for a few hours before same-day discharge.

For more information, contact:
Marketing and Communications,
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH)
Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi – 74800, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-111-911-911
Email: akuh.information@aku.edu
Website: https://hospitals.aku.edu/pakistan/