Wally volunteered, after careful consultation with a team of medical experts, to become the first heart patient to tell his cardiovascular disease story on the popular SABC 3Talk show hosted by Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu, culminating in a special two hour live broadcast on Saturday 2 August from 20h00 to 22h00 on SABC 3.
Katzke, a reserved and sensitive Johannesburg businessman, was overwhelmed by the media and public support he received last week and expressed his biggest fear on TV “of not making it”. For now these fears are at bay as according to his medical team, Katzke has survived the surgery but for the next 48 hours will be monitored closely for any complications.
Says HSFSA Communications Director, Michelle Kearney, “We, along with all Wally's supporters and the estimated two million viewers around South Africa, are thrilled at the successful outcome of the surgery itself. We are grateful to Wally and his family for allowing us to document his story and hope that this heart hitting message has reached all South Africans and made them rethink their lifestyle and diet choices. We are in close contact with Wally's medical team to monitor his ongoing situation whilst he recovers in high care.”
Doctors who performed the single bypass open heart surgery, said while for them it was a routine procedure, they were proud of Katzke's unselfish commitment to share it with others and they hoped the real-time transmission had educated viewers of the very real risk of cardiovascular disease due to poor diet and lifestyle choices.
A heavy smoker who led a sedentary lifestyle, Katzke had suffered a mild heart attack in 1999 and had a stent inserted at the age of 44 to enable his clogged arteries to pump blood and oxygen more efficiently.
However, his continued poor lifestyle - which included skipping breakfast and lunch, consuming too much red meat and too little fruit and vegetables, doing virtually no physical exercise, smoking heavily and succumbing to work stress - meant that a continued build-up of fatty deposits in his coronary arteries made him a prime candidate for a more serious second attack. Doctors had to act quickly.
All that is behind him now, however. He has a second chance at life due to the successful surgery performed by well-respected Gauteng cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Martin Sussman and his team in Milpark Hospital's Theatre 7.
For the majority of the broadcast, viewers were able to see Katzke's surgery via a live video inset in the corner of their television screens, while a panel of experts including cardiologist Dr Graham Cassel and long-time 3Talk medical expert Professor Harry Seftel discussed cardiovascular health in layman's terms within the custom studio environment close to the operating theatre.
Dr Sussman also wore a pencil camera on his head during the operation, providing viewers with a bird's eye view of the surgery at various times. The program crossed over to the theatre regularly to check in on the progress of the surgery and to view key moments in the operation. These included the longitudinal incision made through Katzke's sternum using a medical saw, the moment his heart was literally stopped as a heart and lung machine took over the job of keeping him alive, the surgeon's painstakingly careful stitching of his internal mammary artery and his heart's return to vigorous beating once the bypass was complete.
Netcare Milpark Marketing Manager, Amelda Swartz, said the crew and their equipment had been thoroughly sterilised under supervision of the hospital's infection control unit and had to remain inside the theatre for the entire surgery.
“No entry or exit was allowed under any circumstances as the room had to be kept at a certain temperature, since the riskiest part of the operation is bringing the body back to normal temperature once the bypass is complete,” she said.
Katzke's recovery is expected to take six days in hospital post-surgery and he and his family would have continued access to a qualified psychologist as well as the HSFSA's Mended Hearts support group.
Says Kearney, “While Wally is expected to leave hospital with a new lease on life, thousands of South Africans are at his same risk of heart disease despite dramatic variations in age, gender, race and standard of living. If South Africans continue to consume a diet which is far higher in kilojoules, salt, animal fat, refined carbohydrates, processed foods and added sugar, coupled with predominantly inactive lifestyles, none of this is good news for their hearts.”
Cardiologist Dr Cassel said the Meet Wally's Heart Project tried to show that even if one had heart disease, they could live a long healthy life if they simply changed their lifestyle.
“Eating badly, drinking heavily, smoking, not exercising, being obese, poorly controlled diabetes - these are some of the major problems that we have in our society and this initiative has made people aware of the problem,” he said.
The important message is not to get to the stage where you have the damage. You can make small changes from a very early age to try to limit cardiovascular disease as much as possible. This includes moderate physical activity like brisk walking, swimming, dancing or participating in non-competitive sports for just 30 minutes per day.
Good dietary choices are key. Opt for a prudent, varied eating pattern with reduced intake of bad fats, particularly saturated fats from animal products. Eat more fruit and vegetables and reduce your overall salt intake.
Cardiovascular disease affects everybody - all genders, all races and all economic backgrounds.
It's not just Wally or the man next door. It could be you!
Members of the public can send Wally their get-well wishes by logging onto http://www.meetmyheart.co.za.
