KU workshop on ECG warns of high death toll of heart attack 

KARACHI: A one-day workshop on "Echocardiography (ECG)" was organized at the Stem Cell Research Laboratory, Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), University of Karachi, to enhance participants' understanding of this crucial technique, which uses ultrasound to examine heart function.
Addressing the workshop’s inaugural ceremony, Prof. Dr. Farzana Shaheen, Director of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the KU, quoted the World Health Organization (WHO) data, saying Pakistan recorded 240,720 deaths from heart attacks (myocardial infarctions) in 2020, with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including heart attacks, remaining the leading cause of death, both globally and in the country. 
She emphasized that cardiovascular diseases claimed an estimated 17.9 million lives worldwide in 2019, accounting for 32 percent of all global deaths. Of these, 85pc were caused by heart attacks and strokes. 
Prof. Shaheen expressed concern over the rising burden of cardiovascular diseases in Pakistan, which is leading to increased healthcare costs and a growing strain on the population.
Prof. Dr. Saleem Akhtar, Clinical Associate Professor and Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at Aga Khan University (AKU), and Dr. Asmat Salim, Professor at PCMD, also spoke at the event. The workshop featured resource persons, including Dr. Irfan Khan, Assistant Professor at AKU; Dr. Rida-e-Maria Qazi, Postdoctoral Fellow at AKU; Ms. Hina Ali, Laboratory Technologist in Echocardiography at AKU; and Dr. Nadia Naeem from Dow University of Health Sciences.
Prof. Shaheen commended Prof. Salim and her team for organizing the workshop, emphasizing the importance of echocardiography in diagnosing, managing, and monitoring patients with heart disease. 
Prof. Akhtar expressed hope that the workshop would benefit both clinicians and researchers, paving the way for future research initiatives.