Welcome to the May issue of the Arrhythmia Alliance’s e-bulletin, with news of the latest national coronary heart disease conference, a new MPs’ report on NHS technology spending, some great fundraising ideas and much more.

Thanks very much for your support.  To contact us, just email info@arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk

Patients speak out at national CHD conference

The experience of patients was the focus of the country’s largest coronary heart disease event, held on March 3 and 4.  Entitled “Collaboration in Cardiac Care: Next Steps to Service Improvement”, the conference allowed delegates to share their experiences of redesigning NHS services for heart patients and their carers.  The presenters included founding AA trustee Trudie Lobban, who also met Health Minister John Reid. Read more

Discover of new genetic cause of child arrhythmia

Researchers who previously pinpointed the genetic cause of a rare but severe form of cardiac arrhythmia that affects children have now identified a second, closely related mutation that also causes the disease. Read more

NHS 'lags behind over technology' 

The UK is lagging behind many countries in the introduction of new medical equipment, MPs warn. The Health Select Committee found Britain spent less on technology than many countries - despite UK firms being at the forefront of development.   Their report revealed that the UK spent 0.36% of GDP on medical technology, compared with Germany's 0.92% and 0.71% in the US. The European average was 0.55%. Trudie Lobban, a spokeswoman for the Medical Technology Group, a campaign body which includes the Arrhythmia Alliance, said patients were missing out on life-enhancing treatment.  Full story

Calling all CHD Groups

The Thames Valley CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) Collaborative & the West of Berkshire CHD Implementation Group are working together to implement the guidelines in the new Arrhythmias & Sudden Cardiac Death NSF. Initially, they are planning to map the existing patient pathway and collect baseline data for the current service.  They would be very interested to hear about any similar service redesign and improvement work going on around the country and, in turn, would be willing to share their own experiences.  Please contact: Sue Field, Specialist Commissioning Manager, Reading PCT, 57-59 Bath Road, Reading RG30 2BA.  Tel: 0118 982 2889 (Thursday) 0118 977 3140 (Monday - Wednesday & Friday) or Adrienne Webb, Project Manager, Thames Valley Coronary Heart Disease Collaborative, Battle Hospital, Oxford Road, Reading RG30 1AG. Tel: 07879 621031

Have fun fundraising!

Support the Arrhythmia Alliance and make a real difference.  Whether at work, at home or at school, there are hundreds of original and fun ways to raise much-needed funds.  Why not organise a sponsored silence, a cake sale or a games night?  Or hold a parents’ football or rounders match, and charge both players and spectators?  Ban a word for a day and charge a fine every time it’s mentioned, or throw a party for £5 a ticket….the only limit is your imagination! 

Long jumper given sporting chance

With only a few dozen specialists and limited equipment, very few people in the UK get the correct treatment for irregular heartbeats.  Prime Minister Tony Blair did. So did Lancashire long jumper Hazel Hall. And following successful treatment she is now gunning for next year's Commonwealth Games.  However, the cardiologist who carried out the operation said that Britain lags behind in comparison with the rest of Europe.  Read more

NICE changes name and address

On 1 April 2005 the National Institute for Clinical Excellence took on the functions of the Health Development Agency to create a single excellence-in-practice organisation, responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.  The new organisation is called the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence but will retain the acronym NICE. 

The contact details are:

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)

MidCity Place

71 High Holborn

London

WC1V 6NA

Telephone: 020 7067 5800

Fax 020 7067 5801

Website: www.nice.org.uk

Email addresses will follow the standard format: firstname.lastname@nice.org.uk.

Internet news updates

Here are some recent online news items from around the world. Please note that these are external links and we bear no responsibility for their content. You may need to register to access these sites. 

Older Hearts Benefit from Fish, Soy Oil - Reuters

State Health Department Gets Defibrillators - KOTV

Heartwave II MTWA System (Photo: Business Wire) - Genetic Engineering News

Women Struggle for Parity of the Heart – New York Times

FISH FOR LIFE: Heart healthy fish oils – New Straits Times

FDA clears Cambridge Heart device – BusinessWeek

The Effect of Cardiac Resynchronization on Morbidity and Mortality ... - New England Journal of Medicine

Death from cardiac arrest can be averted with AED – Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter

Schools Seeing Wisdom in Having Defibrillators – Washington Post 

Pacemakers Continue to Prove Their Worth – Forbes USA

'Fickle' enzyme helps protect, but also can promote heart failure – Medical News Today

New studies released at the Heart Rhythm Society's Annual Meeting – Medical News Today

Regular Exercise Cuts Women's Sudden Cardiac Death Risk
Forbes – USA

Blow to Chest Won't Restore Normal Heartbeat
ABC News - USA

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