Cardiac ICU reports below 5% mortality rate

The mortality rate in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation remains below five percent for 2024, which Head of the Internal Medicine Department, Dr Mahendra Carpen said is in keeping with international standards.

Describing the Department of Cardiology as one of the most progressive ones, Carpen provided an update on some of its accomplishments lately.

He was speaking in company of other heads of department during the end-of-year press conference at the hospital’s Resource Centre, New Market Street, Georgetown.

Currently, the department’s specialist staffing includes three interventional cardiologists, one cardiac electro physiologist and one person who is trained in both; three clinical cardiologists are also there.

In 2024, it acquired two new echocardiogram machines and according to Carpen, most importantly, started training programmes in the fellowship level for cardiologists.

“We’ve also started training technicians not just in the public, but in the private sector as well, because we recognise that Guyanese health is the same thing, whether you in public or private; we need to take care of patients,” Carpen expressed.

The Cardiac ICU saw over 1,000 patients in the past year and Carpen reported that on the outpatient side, the department saw over 60,000 patient encounters.

“In fact the clinics are so busy; when we have critical patients who don’t necessarily need to be in hospital but they need to be seen on a frequent visit, we tell them to come up to the ICU on this day and time, and somebody who is doing rounds will come out and see you.”

Over 5,500 patients were seen and enrolled in the heart failure clinic, which Carpen said is the beginning of a big epidemic in the country. “This is something we have to address not just at the Georgetown Hospital level, but at the national level as well.”

Almost 80 open heart surgeries were done, he disclosed, which include bypass surgeries, valve replacements, etc. Furthermore, 16,500 ECGs (heart tests) were done.