A-A Ebulletin July 2006

Welcome to the August e-bulletin from the Arrhythmia Alliance. This month you can read about what you can do during next month's Arrhythmia Awareness Week, how to register for the UK Heart Rhythm Contress, new NHS findings on GPs' difficulties in diagnosing atrial fibrillation and much more. You'll also find links to the month's most relevant news stories from around the world. We're always glad to hear from you so if you'd like to contact us, please email info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk at any time.

Pass it on!
If you've found this bulletin useful, why not forward it to a friend, colleague or members of your group and make sure as many people as possible know about the Arrhythmia Alliance?

GPs struggle to accurately detect atrial fibrillation on ECGs and may inappropriately treat some patients while allowing others to slip through the net, data from an NHS study reveals. The findings are a blow to attempts set out in the new NICE guidance "to increase detection of atrial fibrilIation in primary care.” GPs backed calls by the research for more training for GPs or asystem of checks by specialists to ensure ECGs are interpreted accurate1y. The study, funded by the NHS Health Technology Assessment Programme, required 50 GPs and nurses to assess the presence of atrial fibrillation in a set of ECGs randomly selected from a pool of 1,696, with diagnoses then established by cardiologists. GPs correctly diagnosed 79 of 99 cases of AF but of 193 diagnoses 144 were in sinus rhythm, giving a positive predictive value of just 41%. Nurses were even less accurate.

All babies should have an ECG heart scan in in the first month of their life to check for life-threatening problems, say Italian cardiologists. They claim that routine ECG heart screening could save up to 250 lives a year in EU countries and would be cost-efficient. They based their calculations on work involving 45,000 infants. Screening picked up the genetic condition Long QT Syndrome, which is treatable but can be deadly if missed. Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5177906.stm


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Welcome to the Arrhythmia Alliance e-bulletin for August 2006
Welcome to the August e-bulletin from the Arrhythmia Alliance. This month you can read about what you can do during next month's Arrhythmia Awareness Week, how to register for the UK Heart Rhythm Contress, new NHS findings on GPs' difficulties in diagnosing atrial fibrillation and much more. You'll also find links to the month's most relevant news stories from around the world. We're always glad to hear from you so if you'd like to contact us, please email info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk at any time.
Arrhythmia Awareness Week - get your info packs now!
Are you planning an event or information stand for Arrhythmia Awareness Week (AAAW), 12-19 September? We've got fantastic FREE exhibition packs with everything you'll need - posters, banners, balloons, leaflets, keyrings, dummy pacemakers and more. Email info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk to order your free pack now, and we'll send it to you in the week beginning 14 August. At AAAW, hundreds of individuals and groups from across the UK join forces to help raise the profile of arrhythmias among general public and the media AND raise vital funds to improve treatment, information and support services. The first AAAW in 2004 culminated in the announcement that the Department of Health was to launch a consultation to write a new chapter on Arrhythmia in the National Service framework on Heart Disease. Let's see what we can achieve this year! There are so many ways you can help - find out how to get involved at http://www.aaaw.org.uk/
Ready for the UK Heart Rhythm Congress?
	The UK Heart Rhythm Congress 2006 is coming up fast, so if you've haven't booked your place, do it now! This will be the first combined meeting of the Arrhythmia Alliance, Heart Rhythm UK and other medical and patient groups interested in cardiac arrhythmias. It will be lively and wide-ranging, with presentations, lectures and a trade exhibition. It's from 19 to 21 September 2006 and you can find out more at http://www.ukheartrhythm.org.uk /. Registration is strongly advised.	Pass it on! If you've found this bulletin useful, why not forward it to a friend, colleague or members of your group and make sure as many people as possible know about the Arrhythmia Alliance?
Celebrity Golf Day
Arrhythmia Alliance is hosting a Celebrity Golf Day on Monday 18 th September 2006 at The Menzies Welcombe Hotel, Stratford-Upon-Avon , to ‘tee-off' the First UK Heart Rhythm Congress. Our Patron Bill Beaumont OBE, sports personality and former England Rugby Captain will be joining us. We would like to invite you to this special event. Could you please advise us whether you will be entering as an individual or a team. Entry costs £125 per person or £475 per team of four. Payment can be made by credit card or cheque payable to A-A. Accommodation is available at The Menzies Welcombe Hotel (www.bookmenzies.com) or if you are attending the UK Heart Rhythm Congress (www.ukheartrhythm.org.uk) the following day you may prefer to register at The Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel. RSVP by 15 August. Click the picture to access a larger version of the invite for printing.
A-A Website
If you haven't seen it lately, take a look at our Arrhythmia Alliance website. It has been updated to include new pages including the following downloads: All patient information booklets; All DoH approved care pathways; Information on the NSF Implementation Board and the latest information information and updates from NICE & CVDSL. Also available under 'Cardiology News' are the latest news headlines about cardiology and cardiovascular matters and medical devices. It is updated daily, with stories provided by Medical News Today.
New European Heart Rhythm Association Key Reference Library
EHRA's daily objective is to improve the quality of life of the European population by reducing the impact of cardiac arrhythmias. This new library presents a selection of articles judged as fundamental documents to guide medical practice in cardiac pacing and electrophysiology. You may also like to propose an article. Access the library here...
Calls for more training as GPs miss AF clues
GPs struggle to accurately detect atrial fibrillation on ECGs and may inappropriately treat some patients while allowing others to slip through the net, data from an NHS study reveals. The findings are a blow to attempts set out in the new NICE guidance "to increase detection of atrial fibrilIation in primary care.” GPs backed calls by the research for more training for GPs or asystem of checks by specialists to ensure ECGs are interpreted accurate1y. The study, funded by the NHS Health Technology Assessment Programme, required 50 GPs and nurses to assess the presence of atrial fibrillation in a set of ECGs randomly selected from a pool of 1,696, with diagnoses then established by cardiologists. GPs correctly diagnosed 79 of 99 cases of AF but of 193 diagnoses 144 were in sinus rhythm, giving a positive predictive value of just 41%. Nurses were even less accurate.
Call for heart checks on babies
All babies should have an ECG heart scan in in the first month of their life to check for life-threatening problems, say Italian cardiologists. They claim that routine ECG heart screening could save up to 250 lives a year in EU countries and would be cost-efficient. They based their calculations on work involving 45,000 infants. Screening picked up the genetic condition Long QT Syndrome, which is treatable but can be deadly if missed. Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5177906.stm
Calling survivors of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
We are keen to hear from survivors of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Do you know someone? Are you a survivor? Have you treated a survivor who was resuscitated using an AED (automated external defibrillator)? We would like to bring together a small group of survivors to share their stories and even attend the UK Heart Rhythm Congress in September 2006 ( www.ukheartrhythm.org.uk ). Maybe as a survivor you would like to volunteer to help raise awareness of the use of public AEDs and SCA during AAAW ( www.aaaw.org.uk ). Please contact info@aaaw.org.uk or phone 01789 450787.
Seeking other sufferers
I am a 26-year-old female who has suffered from arrhythmias since I turned 21. I experience alternating fast and slow rhythms, runs of extra beats and dropped beats – I can feel sick, very fatigued, dizzy and breathless and I have a lot of headaches when having these. I believe there is a definite hormone connection as the lead up to my period is horrible – my heart does what it pleases but usually eases when my period arrives. Moreover, I have IBS and if I have a digestive upset I tend to get a lot of extra beats. Anybody else get this? I feel isolated and have had to give up my job due to how debilitating these are and would like to hear from anyone regarding their experiences, particularly if they consider hormones to play a part. I have had a variety of diagnoses – SVT, Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia with 1 st degree block/Atrial Tachycardia with 1 st degree block and latterly been told pacemaker syndrome (by an Electrophysiologist) – but I don't have a pacemaker, which makes it bizarre and difficult to treat! I would welcome anyone's response. Please email me c/o info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk
Forthcoming events
Heart Rhythm Congress 2006 - 19-21 September 2006. Register now at http://www.ukheartrhythm.org.uk/html/registration.html or call 01789 450 787. Defibrillators Information Seminar - 23 October 2006, MHRA, Vauxhall, London UK Half-day defibrillators training and information seminar for nursing staff, paramedics, resuscitation training officers and community defibrillation officers. Register online at http://www.mhra.gov.uk/mhra/conferences/register.htm email mhraconferences@mhra.gsi.gov.uk or call 020 7084 2903
Here's a selection of items of interest from the internet. Please note that these are external links and we bear no responsibility for their content. You may need to register to access these sites.
Epidemic of Deadly Atrial Fibrillation is Here - Forbes - USA Foundation aims to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - Wilkes Barre,PA,USA Experts: Screen Most Older Adults to Prevent Heart Attacks - Forbes - USA Skip to the beat - EducationGuardian.co.uk - UK Heart Failure in Parents a Risk Factor for Children - Forbes - USA Heart Failure Medication: Genetic Variation Found That Predicts ... - Medical News Today (press release) - UK Heart Attack Prevention: New Guideline For Screening Apparently ... - Medical News Today (press release) - UK Cardiovascular Diseases Specialist Library (CVDSL) Bulletin (link below) http://libraries.nelh.nhs.uk/cardiovascular/ http://intranet.wmdeanery.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://intranet ICD plus antiarrhythmic drug therapy: Analysis doubts need for ... - TheHeart.Org - New York,NY,USA Test advised for newborns to detect heart problem - Reuters.uk - UK FDA backs Guidant's ICD notice to docs - United Press International - USA Test Can Detect Who Needs an Implantable Defibrillator - Newswise (press release) - USA DATAS restores confidence in dual-chamber ICDs - TheHeart.Org - New York,NY,USA Gene causing atrial fibrillation found - United Press International - USA Genetic Cause For Atrial Fibrillation Discovered By Mayo Clinic Researchers 23 Jul 2006 - Medical NEws Today
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