(From left) Dr Nidal Asaad, senior consultant and director of Heart Hospital’s Adult Cardiology Programme, Professor William McKenna and Dr Amr Badr officially opening the Advanced Heart Failure Unit.

Heart Hospital, a member of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), has opened an Advanced Heart Failure (AHF) Unit to provide specialised multi-disciplinary care for people living with advanced heart failure.
The unit also hopes to equip patients with the support they need to be able to better manage their condition, according to a statement.
Dr Amr Badr, cardiology consultant and director of HMC’s Advanced Heart Failure Programme, said the AHF Unit is installed with state-of-the-art equipment and offers clinic consultations, diagnostic tools such as electrocardiography and X-ray, assessment and re-assessment, short-stay admission, pharmacy counselling, patient education, inpatient consultation and education, and home telemonitoring services.
Home telemonitoring is an “innovative and promising” approach that allows the healthcare team to remotely monitor a patient’s vital signs and general condition while the patient is at home, thereby reducing the need for hospital visits.
Besides the treatment regimen, the multi-disciplinary team provides education and support to help patients adhere to a healthy lifestyle and improve their quality of life, the statement notes.
Dr Badr commended his team’s work in the development of the AHF Unit. “We had our soft opening in March this year and are looking forward to further developing our services to ensure that we provide the best possible care for our increasing number of patients,” he said.
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition where the heart is unable to pump out enough oxygen-rich blood to meet the body’s needs, resulting in occasional fatigue, shortness of breath and other symptoms that would prompt a hospital visit. This can be caused by conditions such as coronary artery disease (narrowed arteries in the heart), high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
Heart failure in its early stages can often be managed with medication and a healthy lifestyle. However, as the disease progresses, the heart becomes weaker and treatment becomes more complex.
Professor William McKenna, CEO and medical director of Heart Hospital, said this highlights the need for advanced heart failure care that is linked to an integrated heart failure programme within the hospital.
Catherine Marshall, director of nursing at Heart Hospital, praised the “energy and enthusiasm” of the team behind the clinic, particularly the nurses under the leadership of Hajer Abdulla, head nurse for the unit.
“The AHF Unit plays a significant role in attending to patients’ physical, emotional and psychological needs and in bettering their quality of life. We have some of the most outstanding professionals working in this department as a strong, cohesive heart healthcare team, who are committed to making the patient experience the best it can be,” said Marshall.



Increase in number of patients
The number of heart failure patients seeking care at Heart Hospital has increased from 68 in 2012 to 1,278 in 2014, according to Dr Amr Badr, cardiology consultant and director of HMC’s Advanced Heart Failure Programme.