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Showing results for tags 'Medicine - Cardiology'.
Found 127 results
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Content ArticleThis study in the British Journal of General Practice aimed to identify cardiovascular disease-related Prevention of Future Deaths reports (PFDs) involving anticoagulants, and to highlight issues raised and responses received. The authors highlight that nearly two-thirds (60%) of PFDs had not received responses from the organisations they were sent to, including NHS trusts, hospitals and general practices. They call for national organisations, healthcare professionals and prescribers to take actions that address concerns raised by coroners in PFDs, in order to improve the safe use of anticoagulants in treating cardiovascular disease.
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News Article
No evidence Covid vaccines lead to young deaths
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
There is no evidence that Covid vaccines have led to an increase in deaths in young people, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. Six months after the mass rollout of Covid vaccines, medical regulators started to report slightly higher rates of two heart conditions after receiving the Pfizer and Moderna jabs. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle itself, while pericarditis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sac the heart sits in. Both side effects are very rare but appear to be more common after a second dose of either Covid jab, particularly in younger men. The ONS looked at outcomes shortly after vaccination, when the risk of any side effect is highest. The chance of a young person dying in that time was no different to later periods the researchers looked at. Julie Stanborough, deputy director at the ONS said: "We have found no evidence of an increased risk of cardiac death in young people following Covid-19 vaccination." Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 March 2022 -
EventuntilCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the UK, yet is largely preventable. It is the single biggest area where the NHS can save lives over the next decade, and as such, is a core priority in the NHS Long Term Plan. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, came an acceleration in adoption of technology as a tool within the NHS - both in clinic and in community - to enhance patient outcomes and professional pathways. These available technologies have a significant role to play, both broadly in alignment with the NHS LTP and also more specifically in the quest to close the atrial fibrillation detection gap. This webinar will highlight the technologies available to the NHS for ambulatory monitoring of CVD and also showcase recent NICE recommendation of the first and only personal ECG to achieve such status. Speaking on this topic will be Trudie Lobban, CEO and Founder of the Arrhythmia Alliance, and Dr Matt Reed, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Edinburgh. Register
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Content Article
Prevention of Future Deaths report – Chloe Lumb (17 February 2022)
Mark Hughes posted an article in Coroner reports
Chloe Lumb was known to have a genetic risk of aortic dissection that was being monitored. When she presented to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on 4 January 2021 a diagnosis of aortic dissection was not made, despite the prior knowledge about her risk and her clinical symptoms. The next day she contacted the hospital following discharge because of ongoing symptoms but was not asked to return to hospital. In her report, the Coroner states that a diagnosis of aortic dissection and appropriate surgical treatment would have prevented Ms Lumb’s death. -
Content ArticleThis study in Nature Medicine aimed to characterise post-acute cardiovascular manifestations of Covid-19 that had not yet been comprehensively researched. The authors used national healthcare databases from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to build a cohort of 153,760 individuals with Covid-19, as well as two sets of control cohorts with 5,637,647 (contemporary controls) and 5,859,411 (historical controls) individuals, to estimate risks and one-year burdens of a set of pre-specified cardiovascular outcomes. The study demonstrated that, following the initial 30 days after infection, individuals with Covid-19 are at increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease, including cerebrovascular disorders, dysrhythmias, ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, heart failure and thromboembolic disease. These risks were evident even among individuals who were not hospitalised during the acute phase of the infection and increased in a graded fashion according to the care setting during the acute phase (non-hospitalised, hospitalised and admitted to intensive care). The authors conclude the risk and one-year burden of cardiovascular disease in survivors of acute Covid-19 are substantial, and that pathways should include attention to cardiovascular health and disease.
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News ArticleFive months after being infected with the coronavirus, Nicole Murphy’s pulse rate is going berserk. Normally in the 70s, which is ideal, it has been jumping to 160, 170 and sometimes 210 beats per minute even when she is at rest — putting her at risk of a heart attack, heart failure or stroke. No one seems to be able to pinpoint why. She’s only 44, never had heart issues, and when a cardiologist near her hometown of Wellsville, Ohio, USA, ran all of the standard tests, “he literally threw up his hands when he saw the results,” she recalled. Her blood pressure was perfect, there were no signs of clogged arteries, and her heart was expanding and contracting well. Murphy’s boomeranging heart rate is one of a number of mysterious conditions afflicting Americans weeks or months after coronavirus infections that suggest the potential of a looming cardiac crisis. A pivotal study that looked at health records of more than 153,000 U.S. veterans published this month in Nature Medicine found that their risk of cardiovascular disease of all types increased substantially in the year following infection, even when they had mild cases. The population studied was mostly White and male, but the patterns held even when the researchers analyzed women and people of color separately. When experts factor in the heart damage probably suffered by people who put off medical care, more sedentary lifestyles and eating changes, not to mention the stress of the pandemic, they estimate there may be millions of new onset cardiac cases related to the virus, plus a worsening of disease for many already affected. “We are expecting a tidal wave of cardiovascular events in the coming years from direct and indirect causes of covid,” said Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, president of the American Heart Association. Read full story (paywalled) Source: Washington Post, 21 February 2022
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News Article
Call 999 over early heart attack symptoms, urges new NHS campaign
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A life-saving campaign is being launched by the NHS to urge people to learn how to spot signs of a heart attack. The survival rate for heart attack sufferers is seven in 10, rising to nine in 10 for those who have early hospital treatment. The most common sign of a heart attack is chest pain, but other symptoms to look out for include chest, arm, jaw, neck, back and stomach pain, lightheadedness or dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, coughing and wheezing. The health service are encouraging anyone experiencing these indicators to call 999. It comes after a poll found found that fewer than half of people knew to dial 999 if they or a loved one experienced the more vague signs of a heart attack. Another priority of the campaign is to teach people how to differentiate between a heart attack and cardiac arrest. According to the health service, there is often no warning and the person quickly loses consciousness when they suffer cardiac arrest. Those experiencing a cardiac arrest will usually die within minutes if they do not receive treatment. It also points out that a heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest. NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “Sadly, cardiovascular disease causes a quarter of all deaths across the country and we have identified this as the single biggest area where we can save lives over the next decade. Read full story Source: 13 February 2022 -
News Article
Almost 100,000 could unknowingly have potentially deadly heart valve disease
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Experts have estimated that almost 300,000 people in Britain could have a potentially deadly heart valve disease called aortic stenosis - including almost 100,000 who are unaware they have it. The condition carries a high death rate if left untreated and occurs when the main valve which takes blood from the heart stiffens and narrows. Many people do not know they have the disease and only discover they do when it is too late for treatment. An international team of scientists, including experts from the Universities of Glasgow and Southampton, set out to research the extent of the disease in the UK. Their study, published in the journal Open Heart, estimated that in the UK in 2019 there were 291,448 men and women aged 55 and over with severe aortic stenosis. Of these, an estimated 68 per cent would have symptoms. This means an estimated 92,389 people have the disease and do not know it. The authors went on to estimate that more than 172,000 (59%) who have the disease will “die within five years without proactive management”. They concluded that aortic stenosis is a “common condition” in the UK but warned that “without appropriate detection and intervention, survival prospects are likely to be poor”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 25 January 2022 -
Content ArticleThis study in JAMA Network Open sought to determine whether limited English proficiency (LEP) is associated with not reporting a history of cardiovascular disease among patients with angina symptoms. The study found that patients reporting symptoms of angina were more likely to not report having cardiovascular disease if they had limited English proficiency. This discrepancy may be because of higher rates of undiagnosed cardiovascular disease or lower awareness of such diagnoses among individuals with LEP. The authors highlight the importance of finding effective communication strategies for people with LEP in order to make prevention and treatment for cardiovascular disease more effective.
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News Article
HeartWare gadget was a ticking time bomb for our daughter
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
At the age of 36, Nola Borcherds could hardly walk ten steps without gasping for breath. A viral infection years earlier had weakened her heart and left her with a constant wheezy chest. Her heart was failing and she needed a new one. No transplant was available, but the next best thing was an implant called HeartWare. Unlike pacemakers, which send an electrical pulse to keep it beating regularly, the device would attach to Nola’s heart and keep her alive by taking over its function, continuously pumping blood around the body. Brochures promised the gadget could be life changing. It was smaller, safer and more effective than others, and designed to last up to ten years, raising her chance of a transplant. When Nola’s pump was implanted in December 2018 it made a tremendous difference. “Two to three months after she had it fitted, she could virtually run up the stairs,” her mother, Jenny Kiddie said. But on 21 May 2021, two and a half years after the device went in, it stopped working. Doctors at Harefield Hospital in Hillingdon, west London, were carrying out maintenance when it failed to turn back on, cutting the supply of blood to her brain. “The hospital called and said, ‘Nola’s become very unwell. How quickly can you get here?’” her mother said. “By the time we arrived, she was already in the morgue.” What her family believe Nola did not know, and what the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), failed to react to, was that HeartWare pumps had already been linked to hundreds of deaths globally. As early as 2011 some doctors switched to alternatives. Yet the UK regulator allowed them to stay on the market — and they continued to be implanted on the NHS until last year. Some patients are still living with the pieces of equipment, because surgery to remove them is so risky. Families, medical experts and lawyers want to know why the MHRA failed to take firm action despite repeated warnings about the devices, which they believe could have contributed to patients dying. By Nola’s death last year, the health regulator had passed on at least 16 safety alerts to doctors warning of problems identified by the manufacturer. Read full story Source: The Sunday Times, 23 January 2022 -
News Article
NHS drug pledge broken for asthma sufferers and smokers, report reveals
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A promise to ensure that people with severe asthma and smokers who want to quit can get the drugs they need has been broken by ministers and the NHS, a health service report reveals. Health charities criticised the persistent lack of access to vital medications for patients in England as very worrying and warned that it could damage the health of those affected. In 2019 the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and makers of branded medicines signed an agreement, called the voluntary scheme, to increase the number of patients able to obtain cost-effective medicines on the NHS. It covered five key areas of disease in which receipt of drugs would result in “high health gain”. These were cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, stopping smoking by using the drug varenicline, hepatitis C and atrial fibrillation and thromboembolism. However, a report which NHS England commissioned – but has not published – shows that while the target has been met for cystic fibrosis and hepatitis C, it has been missed for severe asthma and smokers seeking to quit using varenicline. It compares England’s progress against that in 10 other European countries, including France, Spain and Italy. “It’s deeply concerning that England languishes near the bottom of the league table for uptake of biologic treatments for severe asthma, the deadliest form of the condition,” said Alison Cook, the director of external affairs at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 20 December 2021 -
Content ArticleThe Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Audit (CVDPREVENT) is a national primary care audit that automatically extracts routinely held GP data. This tool provides open access to the data, with clear, actionable insights for those tasked with improving cardiovascular health in England.
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Content ArticleIn this blog Dr Peter Green, CVDPREVENT Workstream Clinical Lead for the NHS Benchmarking Network, looks at the importance of understanding how demographic factors impact the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is a leading risk factor for premature death. He discusses how the CVDPREVENT audit will help primary care healthcare professionals work with their patients to achieve better outcomes for all.
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Content ArticleThis is the first annual report for CVDPREVENT, an audit commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). It presents analysis of data recorded by GPs up to March 2020, providing a pre-pandemic baseline for indicators of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. The analysis focuses on understanding variation in identification, diagnosis and management of people at risk of CVD against metrics of deprivation, age, sex, and ethnicity. There has also been further analysis undertaken on comorbidities amongst those with conditions that put them at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Content ArticlePulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease characterised by pulmonary vascular remodelling and elevated pulmonary pressure, which eventually leads to right heart failure and death. Registries worldwide have noted a female predominance of the disease, spurring particular interest in hormonal involvement in the disease pathobiology. Several experimental models have shown both protective and deleterious effects of oestrogens, suggesting that complex mechanisms participate in PAH pathogenesis. In fact, oestrogen metabolites as well as receptors and enzymes implicated in oestrogen signalling pathways and associated conditions such as BMPR2 mutation contribute to PAH penetrance more specifically in women. Conversely, females have better right ventricular function, translating to a better prognosis. Along with right ventricular adaptation, women tend to respond to PAH treatment differently from men. As some young women suffer from PAH, contraception is of particular importance, considering that pregnancy in patients with PAH is strongly discouraged due to high risk of death. When contraception measures fail, pregnant women need a multidisciplinary team-based approach. This article from Cheron et al. aims to review epidemiology, mechanisms underlying the higher female predominance, but better prognosis and the intricacies in management of women affected by PAH.
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News Article
Cardiac arrest: Thousands of defibrillators unknown to 999 service
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Tens of thousands of defibrillators across the UK risk being unusable because 999 call handlers do not know about them. When someone has a cardiac arrest, ambulance staff can only direct bystanders to the nearest defibrillator if it is on a central register. "That could be the difference between life and death," said Adam Fletcher, head of British Heart Foundation Cymru. A campaign to register defibrillators on The Circuit has now been launched. Survival rates are low in the more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) - with fewer than one in 10 people surviving. BHF said early CPR and defibrillation could double the chances of surviving and it was often down to 999 call handlers being aware that a defibrillator was nearby. "If we don't know a defibrillator is there, we can't send somebody to get it, to potentially save somebody's life," said Carl Powell, the clinical support lead for cardiac care with the Welsh Ambulance Service. Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 October 2021 -
Content ArticleThis article looks at the issue of oxygen hoses becoming disconnected from transport ventilators when patients are moved between hospitals, which led to a patient death. Following the incident, the National Patient Safety team worked with national partners involved in transfer of patients to ensure a ‘tug test’ is incorporated into local practice.
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Content Article
NHS England: Variation in use of cardiac telemetry
Becky T posted an article in Medical devices (existing)
This article discusses the use of wireless heart monitoring in hospitals - telemetry - and the safety standards that need to be met. -
Content ArticleGetting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is designed to improve the quality of care within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variations. By tackling variations in the way services are delivered across the NHS, and by sharing best practice between trusts, GIRFT identifies changes that will help improve care and patient outcomes, as well as delivering efficiencies such as the reduction of unnecessary procedures and cost savings.
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EventA recent report published by the BMJ found that many doctors have difficulty in DNACPR discussions. Chaired by Davina Hehir Director of Policy & Legal Strategy Compassion in Dying, conference will focus on the important issue of effective person centred practice in CPR decisions and communication. By attending you will have the opportunity to hear from Rosie Benneyworth Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care Care Quality Commission who will discuss what we've learnt from the pandemic, including: the rapid review of how cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions were used during the coronavirus pandemic; improving involvement of people using services, record keeping, and oversight and scrutiny of the decisions being made. Register 20% Discount now available with code HCUK20CPR when booking
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Content Article
Prevention of Future Deaths report – Ann Geraghty
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Coroner reports
Ann Geraghty was being treated for heart failure at Good Hope Hospital and subsequently died following a cardiac arrest. In their report, the Coroner raised patient safety concerns relating to two periods of ventricular standstill (this is a rare issue when the heart stops beating and stands perfectly still), which were missed due to a combination of policy, staffing, workplace and equipment issues. -
News Article
Life-saving cholesterol jab recommended on NHS
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
An expensive anti-cholesterol drug called inclisiran could soon be offered to hundreds of thousands of people in England and Wales on the NHS. The drug, which would be administered as a twice-a-year injection, costs around £2,000 per dose, could save about 30,000 lives within a decade. "Inclisiran represents a potential game-changer in preventing thousands of people from dying prematurely from heart attacks and strokes. We're therefore pleased to be able to recommend it as a cost effective option on the NHS." Said Meindert Boysen, NICE deputy chief executive and director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation. Read full story. Source: BBC News, 01 September 2021 -
Content ArticleThis research was conducted with the aim to reduce the number of poor outcomes for surgical patients with a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) score ≥7 in the author's institution by 50%. Results found that the introduction of the surgical safety huddle supported by the deteriorating patient response team reduced the number of cardiac arrests and poor outcomes in a surgical inpatient cohort.
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Content ArticleThe aim of this study from Mahadevan et al. was to understand human factors (HF) contributing to disturbances during invasive cardiac procedures, including frequency and nature of distractions, and assessment of operator workload. They observed 194 cardiac procedures in three adult cardiac catheterisation laboratories over 6 weeks. The study found that fewer than half of all procedures were completed without interruption/distraction. The majority were unnecessary and without relation to the case or list. The authors propose the introduction of a ‘sterile cockpit’ environment within catheter laboratories, as adapted from aviation and used in surgical operating theatres, to minimise non-emergent interruptions and disturbances, to improve operator conditions and overall patient safety.
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Content ArticlePast research, some dating as far back as 1990 has highlighted a number of inaccuracies in readings when measuring oxygen levels in ethnic minorities. Especially now with the outbreak of coronavirus, further assessment is needed to ensure accurate measurements are being taken. The NHS Race and Health Observatory is now calling for further action and research alongside a rapid review includes a series of recommendations for national healthcare, regulatory and research bodies.
