I am a Registered Nurse with over seven years of clinical experience in Cath Lab/Interventional Radiology, cardiovascular telemetry, and oncology/medical-surgical units at leading healthcare institutions. I have extensive experience providing high-quality patient care in complex and high-acuity settings, including Level I trauma environments. I assist with advanced cardiac and interventional procedures, administer conscious sedation, and respond to emergencies using ACLS protocols. I am committed to patient advocacy, multidisciplinary collaboration, and maintaining the highest standards of safety, professionalism, and compassionate care.
As a cardiac nurse, I work closely alongside cardiologists and an interdisciplinary care team. Every shift brings a new reminder that heart disease is not distant or rare. It is here, it is common, and it is affecting people earlier and more severely than many expect.
My perspective is shaped not just by hospital care, but by what happens outside of it. I get paged when someone with STEMI comes to the hospital, and then we go to the Cath lab and perform an angiogram. These are moments that stay with you. Families are anxious, patients are in pain or distress, and decisions need to be made quickly.
What stands out to me is how often these situations could have been prevented or at least delayed with earlier awareness and intervention.
Cardiovascular disease does not usually appear suddenly. In many cases, it develops silently over the years. High blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and smoking are well-established risk factors. Yet many individuals are either unaware of their numbers or do not fully understand what those numbers mean for their long-term health.
Preventive screenings are not complicated. Routine blood pressure checks, lipid panels, blood sugar monitoring, including HbA1c, and, in some cases, cardiac imaging or stress testing can provide early warning signs. These tools exist, but they are underutilized.
I have also noticed a concerning rise in cardiac cases among individuals from India and South Asian backgrounds. This is supported by growing evidence that South Asians have a higher risk of developing heart disease at a younger age, often due to a combination of genetic predisposition, metabolic factors such as insulin resistance, dietary patterns, and increasingly sedentary lifestyles. What makes this more challenging is that risk can be present even in individuals who do not appear overweight.
In emergencies, there is often confusion and fear around treatment options. I frequently meet patients and families who are hearing terms like stents, balloon angioplasty, or bypass surgery for the first time during a crisis. A stent is a small mesh tube used to keep a blocked artery open after it has been widened with a balloon during angioplasty. There are different types, including drug-eluting stents that release medication to reduce the risk of re narrowing. In more severe or complex cases, coronary artery bypass surgery may be recommended to restore blood flow to the heart.
These are life-saving interventions, but they are not cures. They are part of a larger journey that requires long-term lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and regular follow-up. Without that, the risk of future events remains high.
What is equally difficult to see is that even when people have some awareness, it does not always translate into action. Diets high in sugar and processed foods, low physical activity, unmanaged stress, and delayed care continue to play a role. Often, the seriousness of heart disease is underestimated until it becomes an emergency.
This is why community-level education is so critical. Initiatives like Sikhs in Clinical Research are making an important impact by going directly into communities, creating culturally relevant conversations, and building trust. Awareness is not just about sharing information. It is about making that information accessible, relatable, and actionable.
From where I stand, the need is clear. We need to shift from reactive care to proactive health. We need to normalize preventive screenings. We need to talk openly about heart disease in our families and communities. A healthier future is possible, but it starts with awareness, understanding, and small, consistent changes in how we take care of ourselves every day.
