Save your Heart...Life Is Priceless

To mark the World Heart Day, 29 September 2015, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR put a spotlight on creating awareness in key areas of concern with regard to cardiac challenges especially in the younger population. More than 65% of acute cardiac attack victims treated at Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR, are youngsters between the age group of 25 – 35 yrs, and many of these victims quite often delay seeking medical attention.

While, leading a life filled with healthy choices, is of paramount importance, it is also equally important to be aware of the critical moments, when the wellness balance tips over, and emergency medical care is to be administered, within the threshold of the golden hour.  

Not every cardiac attack begins with symptoms characterised by chest pain or numbness in the left arm, hence understanding when you are experience a cardiac episode and not brushing it away as just another discomfort your body is experiencing is vital.

On Tuesday, 29^th September 2015 100 staff members of Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR, a hospital known for the best Emergency and Cardiology services,  took a ‘Save Your Heart’ pledge and touched 30,0000 commuters on OMR, ECR and NH4 with the following information and reminding them once again that ‘Life is Priceless.’

• §  Chest pain or discomfort in the center or left side of your chest
• §  A feeling of heavy weight placed on your chest like chest pressure, tightness, squeezing or crushing sensation
• §  Chest pain that feels like a Heart burn or indigestion
• §  Chest pain that disappears and comes back or lasts for longer than 5 mins
• §  Spreading pain from the chest are to the shoulder, arms, jaws, neck and back
• §  Sweating profusely
• §  Shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing with or without chest pain or discomfort
• §  Palpitation, irregular heart beat and pulse rhythm
• §  Sudden extreme tiredness or fatigue
• §  Light-headedness or dizziness
• §  Cough or wheeze due to heart failure with sputum in clear or white color
• §  Nausea and/or vomiting
• §  Stomach pain or discomfort in the upper stomach

Join Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR and take the ‘Save Your Heart’ Pledge:

“I pledge to lead a healthier life by making physical activity and healthy eating part of my daily life.

In support of the Life Is Priceless Initiative by Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR, I pledge to 

§  Walk a minimum of 1000 steps Daily and take the stairs instead of the lift

§  Choose healthy food and eat at home more often

§  Avoid coffee, alcohol and cigarettes 

§  Drink at least 2 lts of water

§  Undergo a comprehensive health check-up once a year

§  Create a work life balance and allow sometime everyday to wind down 

§  Listen to calming music and include yoga in my daily routine to de-stress  

Constantly remind myself that 'My Life is Priceless”

Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR: Celebrating the Correct Driving Posture Month

In India an estimated 8 out 10 people suffer from lower back pain. As a prefatory to diagnosing the root cause of pain, it is important to examine all the daily activities of our lives that can be a contributing factor. Driving has been identified as one of the culprits that creates significant stress to the neck and the upper and lower back. It is not just the amount of driving you do that can worsen your back pain but also an incorrect driving posture can break your back comfort.

Staff members of Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR trained the commuters on OMR at the Tidal Park signal on the correct driving posture to be followed while in a car or while riding a bike.

Experts have suggested 5 simple tips to be followed while driving a car:

1.       The seat back should be as parallel as possible to the steering wheel. While seated in a car ensure that there is no gap between your lower back and the seat. Sit straight. Your buttocks and back should be square and completely squeezed into the seat. This helps to avoid backaches, possible back injuries and maintains awareness during long drives. This will also ensure the lower back is well supported and least stress is placed on the lower back.

2.       Press the brake pedal fully with your right foot and fully depress the clutch or dead pedal. Adjust the seat distance so that with pedals fully depressed, your knees remain slightly bent and the angle at the knee measures approximately 120° ensuring that the knee is either not too close to the dash board in case of an emergency. This helps better circulation to the legs, less severe injuries in case of accident

3.   Adjust your posture such that when the arms are placed on the steering wheel the wrist rest on the wheel and the bends at the elbow measures approximately 120°. This will reduce the stress on the upper arm and shoulder.

4.   The top of the headrest should be just above your eyelids, and as close to the head as possible (2-3cm). There should be a gap between the neck rest and your head to fit 2 fingers. In case of a sudden jerk, the head and neck would always be supported by the neck rest. A distance of more than 7cms increases the risk of a whiplash.   

5.   Ensure that there is always a gap between the top of your head and the roof of the car of a minimum of 5 fingers.

6.   Always wear a seat belt! It doesn’t matter how far, just buckle up.

This is an informational article. For medical advice on lower back pain, please contact our specialists at Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR on 044 33221111. At Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR, we look forward to extending excellence in clinical care at affordable rates. 

“Life is Priceless, Drive Safe Chennai,” Apollo, OMR

Over 46% of RTA deaths have been reported as two wheeler riders and over 78% of those deaths have occurred due to trauma to the head. With such high numbers, helmet usage has not only been mandated by the government but also touted as the forefront of all road traffic safety campaigns.

I work for Apollo Hospitals in Chennai and one of the hospitals I handle falls on the OMR highway. Our hospital emergency room receives at least 10 - 15 RTA incidents in the every day.

In line with encouraging implementation of safety protocols on Chennai roads, at to promote the Emergency Facility that is available for commutters within 5 mins of incident occurance I ran a roadshow campaign. To ensure that those communicating the message at the roadshow were also equally passionate for the theme, I invited  40 staff members of the Apollo Hospitals, OMR to participate in the roadshow.

The staff members immediately struck an emotional chord with the commuters by handing out stickers reminding them, "Not to end up as just another statistic number on the RTA incidents on OMR, Drive Safe, Wear a Helmet, Follow Traffic Rules because Life is Priceless.”

The message was well received and quite effective. Many commuters immediately took corrective action. Once such incident has been showcased in the image. 

“Has your company won the battle with Employee Wellness?” – Apollo, OMR Health Club for Corporate Leadership

‘Employee Wellness’ as a concept has gained a lot of attention over the last decade. Wellness programs, health screening sessions and regular health check- ups have become mandated HR protocols in several organizations. With corporate productivity being severely scored in line with employee wellness, several companies have redesigned recruitment criteria based on the candidate’s health and habits.

Despite an enormous amount of health awareness data and cost effective initiatives being bombarded at employees, corporates seem to be on the losing side of the battle with increasing healthcare budgets year on year, while employees generously contribute to lead India, in the number of life threatening non communicable diseases (NCD) - diabetes, cancer and cardiac mal function.

In a recent epidemiological survey conducted by Apollo Hospitals, OMR over 60% of those contributing to winning the gold for India in NCDs are within the age bracket of 27 – 35 yrs.

At Apollo Hospitals OMR, we noticed that most health awareness programs and screening sessions leave short lived impact on attendees. The moment deadlines hit, the ‘health gyan’ and enthusiastically set ‘health goals’ become a long forgotten back stage prop.

With a vision to tip health back into work-life balance, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, OMR in tangent with various corporate houses has launched an Apollo Health Club for Corporate Leadership, to reinvent the way employee wellness is being practiced. Understanding the health pulse of the organization through Apollo hospitals in depth health audits would mark the foundation stone of this Initiative. The Corporate Care Initiative would design departmentalized wellness strategies to improve health initiative outcomes and enhance the often overlooked factor in appraisals – the HQ (Health Quotient). The Apollo, OMR Corporate Care Initiative shall encompass Preventive Health Care Strategies, ‘with a nip it in the bud’ approach to disease management, to help organizations, employees and their families, decrease healthcare costs, reduce sickness rates, increase productivity. Launched on the 23^rd of August 2015, Apollo Hospitals, OMR’s Corporate Care Initiative is marching with an ambitious goal to make corporate campuses in South Chennai cancer and epidemic free zones by 2020. 

To add to the glamour of ‘Employee Wellness’ protocols, Apollo Hospitals, OMR has announced the prestigious Apollo Corporate Health Award ceremony to award in an attempt to recognize and share best practices adopted by various corporate house in healthcare management. Senior Management from various organization in South Chennai are welcome to join the Apollo Health Club for Corporate Leadership and nominate their organization for this prestigious event.

Apollo, OMR’s corporate care initiative is to reverberate and echo our beloved Chairman, Dr. P.C Reddy’s statement, “Life is Priceless, Live Healthy India.”