The Arteries Must Have Oxygen

• Heart-related ailments now strike the most productive segment of India's workforce, mainly those between 30 and 40 years
  
• About 10 per cent of heart attacks are fatal. That can be reduced to 4 per cent if adequate safety measures are put in place
  
• This includes better awareness about symptoms of heart attacks, preliminary checks, combined with an efficient network of ambulances and nursing homes
  
• Nursing homes should have equipment for cardiac resuscitation and a stock of clot-busting drugs that are life-saving in the initial stages of a cardiac arrest
  
• Ambulances to be equipped with ventilators and defibrillators, essential first-aid equipment for cardiac arrests
  
• Developing health infrastructure should go hand-in-hand with lifestyle change to deal with cardiac diseases.

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