The cycle of informative health conferences that the Hospital de Bellvitge (HUB) is carrying out to celebrate its 50th anniversary had two new sessions this week. Their topics were the “10 ways to take care of the heart” in el Prat (11 May), and “Treatment and prevention for stroke” in l’Hospitalet (12 May). Both sessions, which were very participative, received a great response from the public.
Dr Josep Comín, head of the Cardiology Service at the HUB, captivated the audience that filled the hall of the Centre Cívic Jardins de la Pau in el Prat with a shocking fact: the sum of all the veins, arteries and capillaries of a person would reach 97,000 km, enough to circle the globe two times. Using his great educational skills, Dr Comín explained the functioning of the circulatory system, the organisation of the Cardiology Service at the HUB, the symptoms of heart attack and the importance of having cardiovascular resuscitation equipment in public spaces.
The core of the talk was devoted to a set of heart disease preventive measures, which happen to be very similar to those for cancer. These include: blood pressure control (essential); moderate physical activity (it drastically lowers cholesterol and has an anti-inflammatory effect); a healthy diet; weight loss (obesity causes inflammation); quitting smoking; good body and oral hygiene; sleeping well; stress reduction; and "taking care of what you love" (family support and education).
Stroke prevention and management in l’Hospitalet
Dr Pere Cardona, director of the Stroke Unit and the Neurovascular Programme at the HUB, explained everything there is to know about stroke at the Josep Janés library. With the engagement of the attendees, he listed the risk factors associated with stroke and the ways to avoid the risk of suffering it. With the sentence "time is brain", he emphasised the importance of attending to the patient who has just suffered a stroke as soon as possible in order to achieve maximum recovery afterwards. He added that, thanks to advances in recent years, solutions can now be offered to people who previously had few therapeutic options.
The doctor explained what the “codi ictus” (stroke code) is: the urgent action protocol that is activated to provide immediate and appropriate care to patients with suspected stroke. He also explained how Bellvitge Hospital provides telematic support to regional hospitals that do not have a 24-hour neurologist. This ensures that everyone has access to the best possible care, optimising the available resources.
As part of the 50th anniversary of the HUB, a series of informative talks on various health issues has been organised in collaboration with the town councils of l’Hospitalet de Llobregat and el Prat de Llobregat. The cycle was launched last January and will run until November of this year. The cycle is made up of up to of 9 lectures.