Dr. Carolina Gonzaga Carvalho is a cardiologist currently working as a clinical fellow in cardiac prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Toronto. Dr. Carvalho has dedicated her life to work with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, specifically arterial hypertension, and emerging risk factors, such as sleep apnea.
"I love working with cardiac prevention and rehabilitation because I have the opportunity to assess and treat various risk factors at the same time including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, smoking, lifestyle, and stress, just to mention a few, providing patients with a significant decrease in their cardiovascular risk.
Working in cardiac rehabilitation has been an honor; I have had the opportunity to listen to patients' insights about life, before and after a heart attack. In this journey to re-establish "a new normal", and more importantly, to prevent a new event, I have seen patients fighting against uncertainties that have undermined their confidence. I recently had a patient who had some stents placed in his coronary arteries about a month before his appointment with us, and who was really worried about the risks of having the stents moving inside his body or even expiring. He was avoiding stairs, abrupt movements, and any physical activity. After a long talk, concerns properly addressed, and clarification about the benefits of physical activity, he was deeply thankful and relieved, and stated that "today is the best day of my life" - obviously after the day that he survived the heart attack. This experience made me realize that we take for granted the simplest things in our lives, until something drastic occurs.
Moreover, it was an impactful moment because we usually expect that sophisticated procedures will work better than simple ones, but "just" listening and answering to his questions made a huge difference in his life. I am extremely thankful for being part of it.
Cardiovascular events are the leading cause of death worldwide. It is consequently a goal of mine to continuously work in cardiac prevention and rehabilitation, teaching, assisting patients, and conducting research in this field.
We know that cardiac prevention and rehabilitation programs are cost-effective, but they are not properly available in all parts of Canada. A change I would therefore implement is an increase in the number of centers, and an expansion in the number of programs whose current focus is limited to certain cardiovascular diseases."
