A-A ebulletin May 2006

Welcome to the Arrhythmia Alliance e-bulletin for June, where you can read about about some new studies of the Rare Diseases Clinical Network, a new cardiac website for surgeons, Help A Heart Week, how to book for Heart Rhythm UK and some more key dates for your diary. You'll also find links to the month's most relevant news stories from around the world. If you'd like to contact us, please email info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk

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?

The National Institutes of Health has announced it is launching the first clinical studies of its Rare Diseases Clinical Network. This network was established in 2003 to encourage clinical research on diseases that might not otherwise be studied because they are rare. More than 20 studies are expected to open in the next few months at about 50 sites across the United States and in several other countries including the United Kingdom, Japan, and Brazil. For more information about the RDCRN, please visit: http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/clinical/cr_rdcrn.asp

The Department of Health has commissioned The Picker Institute to carry out a study of the quality of patient information materials to inform their plans for establishing the information accreditation scheme that was flagged up in a recent White Paper. Results will be available in the summer.

The Healthcare Commission has worked with the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland to develop a website on cardiac care. The website was launched last week and provides detailed information to help patients who need cardiac surgery to make informed decisions about their care and treatment. For the first time in England patients are able to see the performance of cardiac units and in many cases of their individual surgeons. The website was created after a consultation with many patients and help from the British Heart Foundation on the best way of presenting the information. It provides important information about the rates of survival for different types of heart surgery at different units across England and one in Scotland. The website is part of the Commission's commitment to make information accessible to the public. It follows the publication of their report, Getting to the heart of it, on the progress made in implementing the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease in 2005. At the time they also made a commitment to take follow up action to support the continued improvement of services and care for people with, or at risk of coronary heart disease. Their other work in this field includes an improvement review to assess the quality of healthcare for patients with heart failure. Improvement reviews are part of the Commission's annual health check and are assessments of particular aspects of healthcare. The results of this improvement review will be reported later this year and will feed into trusts' annual ratings for 2005/2006. You can see the new website at http://heartsurgery.healthcarecommission.org.uk/


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Welcome to the Arrhythmia Alliance e-bulletin for June
Welcome to the Arrhythmia Alliance e-bulletin for June, where you can read about about some new studies of the Rare Diseases Clinical Network, a new cardiac website for surgeons, Help A Heart Week, how to book for Heart Rhythm UK and some more key dates for your diary. You'll also find links to the month's most relevant news stories from around the world. If you'd like to contact us, please email info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk
Heart Rhythm UK - have you registered?
	If you haven't yet booked your place at the UK Heart Rhythm Congress 2006, act fast! This will be the first combined meeting of the Arrhythmia Alliance, Heart Rhythm UK and other medical and patient groups interested in cardiac arrhythmias. 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?
NIH Launches Rare Diseases Clinical Studies
The National Institutes of Health has announced it is launching the first clinical studies of its Rare Diseases Clinical Network. This network was established in 2003 to encourage clinical research on diseases that might not otherwise be studied because they are rare. More than 20 studies are expected to open in the next few months at about 50 sites across the United States and in several other countries including the United Kingdom, Japan, and Brazil. For more information about the RDCRN, please visit: http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/clinical/cr_rdcrn.asp
New study on patient information
The Department of Health has commissioned The Picker Institute to carry out a study of the quality of patient information materials to inform their plans for establishing the information accreditation scheme that was flagged up in a recent White Paper. Results will be available in the summer.
New Healthcare Commission cardiac site for surgeons
The Healthcare Commission has worked with the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland to develop a website on cardiac care. The website was launched last week and provides detailed information to help patients who need cardiac surgery to make informed decisions about their care and treatment. For the first time in England patients are able to see the performance of cardiac units and in many cases of their individual surgeons. The website was created after a consultation with many patients and help from the British Heart Foundation on the best way of presenting the information. It provides important information about the rates of survival for different types of heart surgery at different units across England and one in Scotland. The website is part of the Commission's commitment to make information accessible to the public. It follows the publication of their report, Getting to the heart of it, on the progress made in implementing the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease in 2005. At the time they also made a commitment to take follow up action to support the continued improvement of services and care for people with, or at risk of coronary heart disease. Their other work in this field includes an improvement review to assess the quality of healthcare for patients with heart failure. Improvement reviews are part of the Commission's annual health check and are assessments of particular aspects of healthcare. The results of this improvement review will be reported later this year and will feed into trusts' annual ratings for 2005/2006. You can see the new website at http://heartsurgery.healthcarecommission.org.uk/
Wolverhampton Coronary Aftercare Support Group
“This Group is a registered charity which supports the new Heart and Lung Centre at Wolverhampton. When reading the recommendations outlined in the new Chapter Eight of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, and bearing in mind the current financial plight of the NHS, the Group members felt obliged to contribute to the provision of an Arrhythmia Nurse Specialist for the Centre. They have therefore pledged a total amount of £74,000, which will cover the salary and on costs of such a post for two years. The post has been filled by Andrew Lapper, who has many years of experience as a cardiac nurse, and this new appointment will be of great benefit to all patients suffering with Arrhythmia problems. It only remains for the money to be raised by the Group members, who are confident they can achieve this.” - Ken Timmis (Chairman)
Help a Heart this summer
This year the British Heart Foundation's Help a Heart Week is focusing on the BHF's core work - pioneering, life-saving research. There are lots of ways you can help - house-to-house collecting, buying World Cup football merchandise from BHF shops, organising a fun, simple event to raise funds and more. For inspiration, visit http://www.bhf.org.uk/hahw2006/index_home.asp?SecID=1839
Seeking arrhythmia nurses
My name is Andy Lapper and I have recently been appointed as an Arrhythmia Nurse at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton . My role is to set up this new service and help to deliver the Quality Standards set out in the NSF Chapter Eight for Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death. It is my intention to assess patients acutely within the A/E, Medical Assessment Unit and ward areas. I am presently developing a Nurse-Led "Suspected Arrhythmia Clinic" to assess patients referred by their GP. I would be very interested in making contact with any nurses who provide an existing arrhythmia service or are in the process of developing one. My email is Andrew.Lapper@rwh-tr.nhs.uk .
Support and information wanted
Hi, my name is Lynne Harris. I am a 43 year old female who suffers from premature atrial contractions every day - I live in Yorkshire and am wondering if there is anyone in this area who suffers from the same/similar problem who would like to get in touch for mutual support/chats/understanding/exchange of information etc. Please e-mail info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk and they will forward your details to me. I would love to hear from anyone who understands!
Forthcoming events
Training course on cardiovascular pathology – essential to the diagnosis of heart disease-causing arrhythmias. Telephone Mary Sheppard, Dept of Pathology, Royal Brompton Hospital, London on 020 7351 8424 or fax 020 7351 8293. The 4th City Basic EP Course: a "hands-on" 2-day training course in all aspects of electrophysiology, with a focus on practical sessions . Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Barts and the London Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. 21-22 June 2006. For details, call Ruzena Uddin on +44 20 7601 8639, email r.uddin@qmul.ac.uk , or visit www.cardiac-cardiology.org International Society for Heart Research 26th European section meeting 14 –17 June 2006, University of Manchester, UK. Great science and good fun for both young and experienced investigators, with high profile speakers and substantial poster sessions. Call 44 (0) 161 275 1628, email rmpoulton@manchester.ac.uk or visit http://www.meeting.co.uk/confercare/ishr2006 Heart Failure 2006 17 June 2006, Helsinki, Finland. For all professionals interested in the broad spectrum of problems relating to heart failure. Visit http://www.escardio.org/congresses/HF2006/ , call +33 (0)4 92 94 76 12 or email Hfregistration@escardio.org Anatomy for electrophysiologists - 3 - 4 July 2006, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, UK. This course aims to provide the foundation for understanding the anatomy of the heart and spatial relationships of cardiac structures as viewed by cardiac electrophysiologists. It also discusses recent developments in cardiac imaging. Suitable for doctors training to specialise in cardiac electrophysiology, for technicians and support professionals working in electrophysiology. Contact: Morphology@rbht.nhs.uk visit www.rbht.nhs.uk/cardiacMorphology or phone Carina Lim on +44 (0)207 351 8751 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.
Study IDs gene linked to arrhythmia - United Press International - USA 'Our son's death has saved the life of our daughter' - ic SurreyOnline.co.uk - Surrey,England,UK Rare syndrome killed teenager - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - Norfolk,England,UK Awareness campaign on Sudden Cardiac Death launches today - Unison.ie - Bray,Ireland New fund-raising day for workplace defibrillators - Ireland Online - Dublin,Ireland Largest US Study Confirms Predictive Ability of Microvolt T-Wave ... - Genetic Engineering News - NY, USA Medtronic Begins Landmark Clinical Trial: Cardiac Device Combines ... - Finanzen.net - Germany Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular ... - The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Preparticipation Screening Key to Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death ... - U.S. Newswire (press release) - Washington DC, USA sinus rhythm: A clinical perspective - TheHeart.Org - New York,NY,USA Treatment to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death : Clinical Highlights Medtronic outlines its initiatives on pacemaker guides - MarketWatch - USA MedlinePlus: Arrhythmia St. Jude Medical Announces FDA Approval of Epic II ICD and Epic II ... - Genetic Engineering News - Larchmont,NY,USA PDSHeart Introduces Advanced Dual Alert AF(TM) At Heart Rhythm ... - Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco, CA, USA The ESC's European Heart Rhythm Association Releases Guidance ... - innovations report - Bad Homburg, Germany Impaired heart-rate deceleration predicts mortality risk post-MI - TheHeart.Org - New York,NY,USA San Diego Paramedics To Use New CPR Technique - 10News.com - San Diego,CA,USA Cooling The Body Aids In Heart Attack Recovery - All Headline News - USA Studies Gauge Safety of Replacing Implanted Defibrillators - Forbes - USA HRS: Transatlantic Arrhythmia Ablation Performed - MedPage Today - Little Falls,NJ,USA Heart Genes Could Help Explain SIDS - Forbes - USA Statins may help people with low cholesterol: trial - Reuters.uk - UK Late-Breaking Clinical Trials to be Presented at Heart Rhythm ... - U.S. Newswire- Washington,DC,USA Ablation better than drugs for arrhythmia : trial - Reuters.uk - UK New GI technologies improve internal organ visualization - EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA Studies determine patient risk from ICD replacement - EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA ICD, pacemaker infection rates seen to grow faster than number of ... - TheHeart.Org - New York,NY,USA CardioMag plans first screening centre - ShareCast - London,UK New technology detects risks of drugs to heart sooner - EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA Outpatient ICD insertions feasible, safe, and make patients " ... - TheHeart.Org - New York,NY,USA ‘There were no symptoms' - The Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK Panic Disorder Difficult to Diagnose but Very Treatable - Newswise (press release) - USA Biophan Announces Issuance of New US Patents; Expands Intellectual ... - Genetic Engineering News - Larchmont, NY, USA Chest compression technique saving lives - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - Norfolk,England,UK Clot-busting drug helps revive cardiac arrest patients - EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
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