News and views

News from EHRA 2018 The annual congress of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), was recently held in Barcelona, Spain....

Osteoporosis drug may have CV benefits The osteoporosis drug alendronate was linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular (CV) death, heart attack, and stroke according to a study in patients with hip fractures. The association was seen for up to 10 years....

The advancement and quality improvement of treatments for cardiorenal patients was the focus of many presentations at the recent 12th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Cardiorenal Forum, held at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London, on 13th October 2017.  Attracting a multidisciplinary audience, this successful meeting facilitates a cross-fertilisation of knowledge through its interactive discussion sessions and excellent speakers. Drs Fazlullah Wardak and Rosie Kalsi report its highlights....

Calling all post-CCT cardiologists! Have your say in gender differences, life work balance and other important issues. Consultant cardiologist, Dr Shareen Jaijee (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London) is carrying out a Masters in Medical Leadership with Birkbeck University and the Royal College of Physicians studying gender, differences in perceptions and barriers at work, such as organisational support, work-life balance, professional satisfaction, career progression and attitudes to part-time work....

The recent British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) 20th Annual Autumn Meeting took as its theme ‘Three decades of heart failure’. Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the landmark CONSENSUS trial and celebrating the quantum leaps in heart failure management that followed, the meeting was held on 23rd–24th November 2017 in London. Dr Simon Beggs reports some of the highlights....

We are pleased to bring you a podcast from this year’s Cardiorenal Forum Annual Scientific Meeting, held in London on 13th October 2017. A highlight of the day’s proceedings included a lively and informative debate on hyperkalaemia – where abnormally high potassium levels are a major concern for many clinicians, particularrly nephrologists and cardiologists. The fear of causing hyperkaleamia is depriving many thousands of patients of appropriate treatment....

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has updated its clinical guideline (CG71) on the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH)....

Results from the REDUCE trial presented at the 29th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium in Denver, USA, provide new insights into the optimal treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) using a dual-therapy stent....

Kathryn E Griffith (Secretary of the PCCS and Cardiovascular Lead for the Vale of York CCG) writes about the newly formed Primary Care Cardiovascular Society....

We are delighted to announce a new series for 2018 on the award-winning Bradford Healthy Hearts Project. This collaborative improvement programme, which involves primary care, secondary care, public health and commissioning, was inspired by failure… in that Bradford, compared to the rest of England and Wales, had an unenviably poor record in terms of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. The project was delivered mainly in primary care and was based on three streams of work covering atrial fibrillation, hypertension and lipid management. ...