The statistics are shocking and terrifying: three million Poles have arterial hypertension, and more than half of them suffer from coronary heart disease. Every year, approximately 100,000 people suffer a heart attack – more than 40,000 of them die. In 1980, 479 people per 100,000 inhabitants died of coronary heart disease in Poland, but in 1994 the figure was already 600. In the United States, mortality from this cause fell by one third; here, we can speak of a true epidemic of cardiovascular disease. These diseases are responsible for 48 percent of deaths among men and 58 percent among women. Poland records one million cases of ischemic heart disease, three million cases of arterial hypertension, 100,000 acute heart attacks and 65,000 strokes every year. Studies conducted among the final-year classes of primary schools revealed that nearly 10 percent of young people suffer from arterial hypertension.
The head of the Internal Medicine Ward at the Municipal Hospital in Bolesławiec, Dr Krzysztof Bąk, belongs to the circle of enthusiasts of organic work. He also possesses the rare ability to combine rich, encyclopedic professional knowledge with practice and modern diagnostics comparable to achievements at the world-class level. This is a modern physician who never parts with his computer or late-twentieth-century technology, which makes it possible to analyze comprehensive data on a patient’s health in astonishing detail. Without delving into professional considerations, one can admire the contemporary practice and art of medicine, which for a true specialist becomes simply a lifelong passion and calling, and for patients – often the proverbial last resort.
A few details. Renovation of the ward is still under way, carried out by the hospital’s own skilled teams with a view to arranging the sequence of rooms in a functional manner. In the old building, everything is crumbling and needs repair, while money is simply lacking. The issue is not excessive comfort, but civilized and convenient working conditions for healthcare workers and hospital treatment for sick people, which has its psychological and therapeutic justification. International standards are the model to follow, and there is simply no escaping them. Medical success consists of physicians’ experience and knowledge, as well as high-quality equipment available to them every day. In Bolesławiec, one can speak of significant progress in this area and of catching up with the best, which is encouraging.
On-site intensive cardiac care is no longer an abstract concept, and cooperation with the provincial or regional centers in Wrocław is proceeding exemplary. This is especially important in the struggle to save the lives of critically ill patients.
Together with our host, we look into the diagnostic and administrative rooms, as well as the hospital chapel, used by all hospital patients, not only those of the Internal Medicine Ward.
The ward’s pride – and not only the ward’s – is its non-invasive cardiac diagnostics laboratory, whose equipment represents a European, and perhaps even world, standard. The Ministry of Health purchased 120 state-of-the-art devices for round-the-clock monitoring and recording of heart activity, which were sent to numerous hospitals and clinics, including one to Bolesławiec. The development of examinations using the Holter monitor has been under way for nearly a quarter of a century, including approximately 10 years in Poland, and has proved exceptionally effective. There are six stations for 24-hour cardiac monitoring using this method. The entire secret lies in the specialized and difficult interpretation of the computerized recording results, but that is the task of professional physicians, who handle it flawlessly. Let us add that the modern diagnostic device for universal use is small, resembling a portable cassette player, and records comprehensive data during the patient’s normal daily cycle, whether at work or resting. The device’s miniaturization makes it possible to keep it, along with the appropriate electrodes attached to the patient’s body, outside the hospital. An additional indicator allows the patient to independently record, by pressing a button, moments of particular danger, such as chest pain. Thus, there is active cooperation between the patient and the physician, who subsequently uses the tape recording to assess the objectivity of the reported sensations and findings.
In the laboratory illuminated by energy-saving fluorescent lights – an impressive optical effect! – there is also a mechanical treadmill for stress tests. The device is connected to a computer and allows the specialist to follow the heart’s activity during various phases of physical exertion, directly on the screen and through a multitude of data. Every moment of the heart’s activity can be preserved in a printout. The ward also has a modern ultrasound echocardiograph, purchased with funds raised by the TMB and Głos’s “Gift of the Heart” campaign. Dr Krzysztof Bąk conducts 500 examinations a year using this device, and so far it has performed excellently. Thanks to cooperation with Ceramika Artystyczna, the company’s president, Marek Kowal, purchased a much-needed new-generation ECG machine. In short, the local community supports its hospital and equips the Internal Medicine Ward according to its needs and its own capabilities. This is not only gratifying, but also guarantees progress in treatment and the ability to match the standards of world medicine. There is not even a shadow of megalomania in this statement. The physicians repay the support not only with redoubled effort, personal sacrifice and effective therapy, but also by engaging in community work as court experts, councilors, consultants, advisers and specialists. The era of Judym and the Siłaczki has not entirely passed, at least in the town on the Bóbr. And that is good, because community life gains many warm colors and shades; it becomes more humane, kind and open to others.
Dr Krzysztof Bąk chairs the reactivated branch of the Polish Medical Association, which has set itself the ambitious goal of integrating the professional community and advancing professional development. Professors from Wrocław will come to meetings in Bolesławiec, and the head of the ward will prepare the first academic lecture.
Cooperation with lawyers is developing well. There is no shortage of interest from the local government and business representatives. The prospects are good, and the genuine needs are even greater.
Comprehensive studies are currently being conducted on the new drug “Prreductal,” assessing its effectiveness in post-infarction conditions; it acts on the coronary vessels. This is a commission from the Institute of Cardiology, evidence not only of trust, but also of the existence of a modern base – equipment of the highest standard – and a team of experienced, outstanding physicians specializing in cardiology. The ward will also “earn” a little money for its needs. Dr Krzysztof Bąk says with embarrassment that patients must be charged 10 złoty for examinations carried out in the laboratory. Unfortunately, everything costs money: electrodes, alkaline batteries, high-quality paper and scarification solutions. These are disposable accessories, not including the operating costs of expensive diagnostic equipment. Let us hope that this financial “procedure” will gain widespread acceptance, because it bears no proportion whatsoever to the value of the lives and health being saved here.
... And one final, very personal reflection. When Dr Krzysztof Bąk speaks about a patient’s illness with great passion and fervor, immense professionalism and dedication, instructing the computer to call up dozens of charts and statistical data without counting the passing hours, he inspires genuine admiration and respect. He has devoted his whole heart to matters of the heart – one would like to conclude this observation with that banal phrase. And the conclusions? As long as people like this exist, as long as their life’s hobby becomes a driving force for progress, as long as they serve people and their community without regard for profits or their own transience, we must help them and support them to the extent of our far-from-small local capabilities. The “Gift of the Heart” campaign is still under way. Could it become as famous as Bolesławiec’s “Ceramic and Sculpture Open-Air Workshops” and “Blues on the Bóbr”? It is worth supporting it with all one’s heart. Precisely – for the heart.
The “Gift of the Heart” Social Committee