Tag Archives: prevention

MyAction Westminster: background In response to the Department of Health (DoH) policy document Putting Prevention First,1 NHS Westminster launched its Health Checks programme in primary care in 2009. The MyAction Westminster programme was concomitantly commissioned by NHS Westminster so that those individuals identified to be at high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk through the Health Checks could access, with their families, an effective vascular prevention programme that would help them achieve measurably healthier lives. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust were successful in becoming the providers of the programme with an annual budget

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the single most common cause of death in Ireland, with diseases of the circulatory system accounting for 33.5% of deaths.1 While there has been a significant decline in death rates over the last 30 years, CVD mortality rates in Ireland remain high in comparison with European averages.2 There is compelling evidence that managing risk factors through lifestyle intervention and cardioprotective drug management can reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by up to 90%.3 In Ireland, high-risk approaches to prevention have traditionally targeted those with established heart disease, yet there are many

Introduction The scientific evidence for cardiovascular (CVD) disease prevention is compelling but, as demonstrated by the EUROASPIRE and ASPIRE-2-PREVENT surveys, translating this evidence into effective patient care in the real-world in clinical practice is challenging.1,2 However, the same academic group have undertaken a number of trials and have shown that it is possible to implement national and international clinical guidelines and achieve the lifestyle, medical and therapeutic targets associated with reduced cardiovascular events and improved health outcomes.3-5 In recognising the need to bridge the implementation gap for prevention a

Heart failure The recommendations on devices, drugs and diagnosis in heart failure were developed by the ESC in collaboration with a heart failure association of the ESC. There have been several major updates since the previous guidance published in 2008.  The new updates include: In devices, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been hailed as a step change in the management of heart failure. LVADs are more reliable and lead to fewer complications than in 2008. Until now, LVADs have been used as a temporary measure in patients awaiting a heart transplant. Professor John McMurray (Glasgow, UK), chairperson of the ESC Clinical Practice

Controversial salt paper published A new European study has caused controversy by suggesting that lowering salt intake may not be beneficial. The study, published recently in JAMA (May 4th 2011 issue), was conducted by a team from the University of Leuven, Belgium. They followed 3,681 participants who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline for a median of 7.9 years, and found an inverse relationship between cardiovascular deaths and 24-hour sodium excretion (which correlates to salt intake), although systolic blood pressure was higher with higher salt intake. But an editorial in the Lancet (May 12th 2011 issue) criticises the study,

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