Students and faculty were fortunate to have three well known Dutch cardiologists present their work at USESOM recently. This is an annual international event that takes place at the University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine.
The doctors, Han Spierenburg, Martin de Leeuw and Aline Huizinga presented to a group of students and faculty on the very timely contributors to cardiac disease with particular emphasis on causative factors, diagnoses, and preventative factors.
Dr. Spierenburg’s presentation focused on “Syncope” where loss of consciousness can usually be attributed to cardiac failure and should be regarded as an important early warning sign of cardiac difficulty.
Dr. de Leeuw focused on the connection of cardiac pain (angina) due to the occlusion of blood flow due to atherosclerosis.
Dr. Huizinga focused on the growing worldwide epidemic of obesity. She stressed the need to face this problem as the effects of this condition on the cardiac health of the population are immense and excessively expensive to worldwide health care.
This was an excellent opportunity for both students and faculty to learn from practicing physicians current thinking and treatment of cardiac health in general and specialized medical practice.