The American Heart Association’s message about the dangers of extreme heat for heart patients reached the Greater Boston audience through a recent WBUR article written by Martha Bebinger.
The piece, which explored the impact of heat waves on cardiac-related deaths in Massachusetts, featured insights from one of our dedicated volunteers, Chrissy Gaffney.
Gaffney, a Worcester resident living with a congenital heart defect and managing acute heart failure, shared her first-hand experience of coping with extreme temperatures. Her story illustrates the real-world implications of heat waves for those with heart conditions.
The WBUR piece highlighted research by Dr. Dhruv Kazi, director of cardiac critical care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, predicting an increase of six to eight cardiac-related deaths during our current three-day heat wave. This sobering statistic underscores the importance of our ongoing efforts to educate the public about heat-related risks to heart health.
Read the piece on WBUR.org.
For more information about managing a heart condition during extreme temperatures, read this American Heart Association article (Hot enough for ya? It may be too hot for your heart health!).