Table Space CEO Amit Banerji dies of cardiac arrest: Why heart attacks in your 40s are the key trigger of sudden deaths

Why can the tiniest blockage trigger sudden cardiac arrest?

Blockages less than 70 per cent, which do not show up in conventional tests like the treadmill test (TMT), can be a risk when stress levels are higher.

Stress produces massive amounts of the hormone adrenaline which narrows down the arteries in the heart and weakens them. So even if you have a 10 per cent plaque in your arteries, which on its own is non-threatening, it can become a threat with risk factors like high blood pressure and stress. The plaques have a thin wall which ruptures easily with high blood pressure, stress and even physical exertion at a gym, factors common to most young working professionals.

The blood rushes in over the top of the torn plaque to repair its covering, causing a much bigger blockage in the artery that can stop blood flow and trigger a heart attack. The damaged heart muscle can dramatically change heartbeats, making them irregular and ultimately stopping them altogether. Now this can happen in fit people too, making stress the most dangerous risk factor.

Managing stress and anxiety biggest problem among start-up founders

This is the reason I usually do many workshops on stress management. And I have found some common stressors though each individual has a different way of processing them.

1. Most start-up founders fear their investors would turn off the tap if they do not show results and deliver on their promise in the quickest possible time. Besides, in a competitive space, they want to get ahead the fastest. And in that pursuit, they start micro-managing and doing things on their own instead of developing a responsible structure that can deliver the goods and ensure a shared decision-making. In the process, they push themselves too hard and head towards a burnout. Learn to delegate.
2. Diet and sleep are the first things to be compromised. Long work hours are directly related to lack of sleep and a poor diet. So even if they do exercises in this scenario, it is stressing out their bodies and organs even more as they have not been rested and repaired.
3. Most start-up owners set unrealistic productivity expectations. So know your limits and draw up an action plan that you can manage. Prioritise the ones that are easier deliverables at the top of your to-do list, push the time-taking ones below.
4. Put health first and get your marker tests done to detect and treat a developing or underlying condition that might trigger chronic illnesses.
5. Take breaks, detach from work at a fixed time. This eases the pressure of work challenges and helps you invest some time in self-care, creativity (depending on your hobbies) and building family ties. Just do time-blocking to use your brain for other purposes.

In the end, your health and heart are as good as you keep them.

(Dr Shetty is interventional cardiologist at Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru)