In this Q&A episode, I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming two cardiac health experts: Prof. Dr. Saenen, a cardiologist (he’s actually my cardiologist!) and specialist in invasive rhythmology, who is also an expert in hereditary heart diseases and the prevention of sudden cardiac death; and Prof. Dr. Loeys, a clinical genetics specialist, who is the head of the Medical Genetics Center and the Rare Diseases department at Antwerp University Hospital.

This fascinating episode provides an in-depth dive into the complex topics of invasive rhythmology, hereditary heart disease, and sudden cardiac arrest. ____ ⁠📰A Newsletter for Heart Warriors⁠📰 This newsletter has zero intention of spamming you every week or so. This is simply a newsletter if you’d like to get notified about any upcoming events (in-person and online), when there is a new podcast episode released, or when there is a health professional appearing soon on the podcast that you can ask a question to. If that’s something you’d like, ⁠then sign up⁠: ⁠https://heartwarriorproject.com/newsletter/⁠ ____ 🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡 Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. And I do it with a lot of love every day. However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so. We offer some ⁠⁠awesome-looking merch⁠⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠⁠accept donations⁠⁠. You can find more information here:⁠⁠ ⁠https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved

____ Timestamps

Intro 00:00 - 02:55

Who is cardiologist prof. dr. Saenen? 02:55 - 06:23

Who is clinical geneticist prof. dr. Loeys? 06:23 - 10:48

Why does someone develop heart disease? 10:48 - 20:48

Main causes of sudden cardiac arrest 20:48 - 28:29

Why is the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest so low? 28:29 - 31:30

What can we do to increase the survival rate of SCA? 31:30 - 40:45

The future of treatment options for heart disease 40:45 - 45:22

Gene therapy and heart disease 45:00 - 50:18

Developing therapies Dr. Saenen and Dr. Loeys are excited about 50:18 - 53:34

Support The Heart Warrior Project 53:34 - 55:02

Genetic testing and its role in diagnosing cardiac disorders 55:02 - 1:02:35

Why some sudden cardiac arrest survivors stay idiopathic 1:02:35 - 1:05:00

Recognizing the alarm symptoms in cardiac events 1:05:00 - 1:15:55

Magnesium and heart health 1:15:55 - 1:20:00

Understanding when ICDs are implanted and the different kinds 1:20:00 - 1:29:01

The hidden challenges doctors face 1:29:01 - 01:31:00

Outro 1:34:23 - 1:35:56