translated from Spanish: Ask for treatment for people with heart failure to be included in the GES

Get up to go to the bathroom is something that most can be simple and fast. However, people who have heart failure make this short journey with much difficulty because they get tired quickly.
His heart loses the ability to efficiently pump blood rich in oxygen to the rest of the body, leading to other health problems which forces them to be hospitalized recursively and that within a period of 5 years can damage the heart muscle to death.
Therefore the movement citizen now or never IC gave to the Minister of health, Emilio Santelices, list that exceeds 5,000 signatures supporting the inclusion of the therapy of cardiac resynchronization (CRT) GES for treatment to patients with failure Heart.
“The TRC to enter to the GES may allow that any patient with IC can access this therapy that allows them to have a better quality of life and avoid the constant hospitalizations”, said Elizabeth Ubillo, spokeswoman for the movement, whose father was able to access the therapy Thanks to the efforts of the medical team that treated him in this case.
It is estimated that by the year 2030, of heart failure cases reach 4.5% of the total population with those people in 74 years and more the higher risk. It is one of the most common diseases in older adults and which derive in a severe deterioration of their general health that needs to be hospitalized at health centers and can kill them.
What is the therapy of cardiac resynchronization Ismael Vergara, cardiologist and specialist in arritmiologia and Electrophysiology explains that this disease is diagnosed when the electrical activation of the ventricles of the heart time is delayed more affecting its capacity of contraction and expansion, which causes dyssynchrony.
“Corrected with a resynchronization pacemakers, making that they move when appropriate. With this, greater efficiency is achieved, pumped better and, as a result, makes the patient feel better because you get less tired”, he explains.
“The CRT can improve their functional capacity in at least 2 activities. For example, if before he tired to go from bed to bath, now you can walk 3-4 blocks”, he adds.
Currently thousands of people in Chile cannot access the therapy because of its high cost. “The TRC reduces mortality and improves the quality of life of patients, both the priorities of any treatment. Patients with diseased hearts are at risk of sudden death and need to put a pacemaker of resynchronization which cost millions of pesos,”said the cardiologist.
It is for the high cost, as the now or never IC decided to support the incorporation of the therapy to the GES so everyone can get them, regardless of its coverage of health and socio-economic situation.
“What we are asking as movement is important because it is not a therapy that has been considered for law Ricarte Soto and we hope that it can be considered for GES 2019”, said Ubillo.

Original source in Spanish