News and views

The number of specialist heart failure nurses should be increased from one to four for every 100,000 people to meet the growing demand from a rising number of heart failure cases, according to a new report from the Alliance for Heart Failure....

We report with great sadness, the deaths of two very distinguished cardiologists: Professors Peter Sleight (Oxford University) and Anthony (Tony) Gershlick (University of Leicester). Their contributions to cardiovascular medicine have been immense and they will be greatly missed. Our sincere condolences go to their families and many friends and colleagues....

A study from Argentina has assessed the effectiveness of sacubitril-valsartan in patients with cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) treated in cardio-oncology units (DOI: 10.1186/s40959-020-00078-4). The study was carried out in 635 breast cancer patients. Some 51 patients developed CTRCD, and of these, 28 were available for analysis. Most of the patients were women and treated with doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide or trastuzumab/pertuzumab....

Results from phase 3 studies with Inclisiran, a potential first-in-class small interfering RNA (siRNA) agent, have shown that it is well-tolerated and provides effective and sustained reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) when used in addition to other lipid-lowering therapies regardless of patients’ age and gender....

Obesity in the UK is on the up. Prevalence of obesity is higher in more deprived communities, and it is linked to a range of health conditions – as well as increasing a person’s risk from COVID-19. The pandemic has moved tackling obesity higher up the government’s agenda....

The British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR), the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and the Public Health Nutrition Specialist Group (PHNSG) have issued a joint statement on nutrition and cardiovascular health post-COVID-19 pandemic. We publish the statement here in full....

We were shocked to hear the sad news of a dear friend passing away, Dr Michael Schachter (Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London) who has profoundly impacted the lives of many students, colleagues and patients. He was also a much-valued member of the BJC editorial board....

Welcome to the third of our COVID-19 bulletins, which we hope will help you filter the continual stream of information published in both the lay and specialist press. Our Bulletins aim to present aspects important for your practice. We have joined with the Cardiorenal Forum, the British Society for Heart Failure, the British Geriatrics Society Cardiovascular Section and other medical and nursing groups to achieve this....

Expert group practical recommendations: management of diabetes in COVID-19 patients Data show that most people with COVID-19 have co-morbidities, the most prevalent of which are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. People with these comorbidities have significantly worse outcomes. Studies have also shown that COVID-19 is associated with hyperglycaemia particularly in the elderly with type 2 diabetes....

BHRS video series ‘Living with COVID-challenges and benefits of changes’ is the title of a series of online videos from the British Heart Rhythm Society (BHRS). Professors Francisco Leyva (Consultant Cardiologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, and Aston University) and Mauro Biffi (Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases of Bologna, Italy) introduce this online video series from Radcliffe Cardiology https://www.radcliffecardiology.com/BHRS-2020-COVID-19....