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The newsletter for Trust members with an interest in heart and lung care
May 2022
The UK’s first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker is fitted at Royal Brompton Hospital
Clinicians at Royal Brompton Hospital have successfully implanted the first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker into a patient, in the UK.
Following the insertion of one of the first leadless single-chamber pacemakers by clinicians at the hospital in 2015, the clinical team, led by Professor Tom Wong, consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton Hospital, have now fitted the first patient in the UK with an innovative new dual-chamber leadless pacemaker.
Currently, leadless pacing technology is limited to single chamber pacing. The single-chamber leadless pacemakers only serve a small minority of the population that need pacing support. A dual-chamber pacemaker involves two devices implanted in the heart that can talk to each other and function cohesively.
Patients who could benefit from the device are those who experience a slow heart rate. Unlike traditional pacemakers, leadless pacemakers are implanted directly into the heart through a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure and eliminate the need for cardiac leads.
Commenting on the procedure, Professor Wong, said: “This is a momentous leap in technology that allows two leadless pacemakers to reliably communicate with each other within the human heart and to deliver coordinated pacing of the top and the bottom chambers of the heart. This pacemaker is a huge advancement in how we deliver care to our patients who require pacemakers.”
New guide to cardiovascular medicine ‘in a nutshell’ edited by consultant cardiologist
The first comprehensive pocket guide to all aspects of cardiovascular medicine will provide physicians with rapid access to the latest recommendations, according to its editor, a consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.
Professor Thomas F. Lüscher, who is also director of research, education and development at the hospitals, said the Manual of Cardiovascular Medicine, published by Oxford University Press, offers details on all cardiovascular conditions. It features bullet-pointed information, attractive illustrations, and the latest European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the care of all cardiac patients.
To read more, click here.
Information to help you plan your next visit
Updated patient safety measures
Please click here to access the latest safety measures in place at our hospitals to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and other infections.
Guides containing accessibility information now available
Patients, visitors and staff can use access guides to find a whole range of accessibility information, such as where a department is located in relation to the main entrance, where car parking spaces are located, whether there are lifts to access other floors, whether a hearing loop is fitted at reception, information about accessible toilets and much more. To navigate to the access guide relevant to your visit, click here.
New guidance to improve diagnosis of respiratory problems in athletes
A new clinical statement on exercise-associated respiratory problems, the first of its kind in the UK, is set to improve diagnosis, according to a consultant respiratory physician at Royal Brompton Hospital.
Dr James Hull, also a member of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, UCL, chaired the group behind the British Thoracic Society (BTS) Clinical Statement for the Assessment and Management of Respiratory Problems in Athletic Individuals, which was published today.
The group brought together experts in respiratory medicine, sports medicine, primary care, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, physiology, and patient input.
Dr Hull said it was "an honour to chair the development of the Clinical Statement, which aims to ensure that any athletic individual struggling with breathing-related problems gets the best advice on the cause of their issues and treatment.”
To read more, click here.
Clinical Research Facility at Royal Brompton Hospital awarded funding
The Cardiorespiratory Clinical Research Facility at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals has been awarded funding as part of a successful bid by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT).
The £11.8m funding from the National Institute for Health Research will be used to conduct ground-breaking clinical research studies across GSTT including facilities at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, St Thomas’ Hospital, Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Guy’s Hospital.
The Cardiorespiratory Clinical Research Facility at Royal Brompton Hospital was previously funded by the NIHR from 2010 through to 2017 before becoming an independent research facility. The facility will now benefit from an uplift in funding, making it possible it to expand on the heart and lung research projects which can take place there.
To read more, click here.
Remote blood monitoring for
pulmonary hypertension
Remote blood monitoring could be the future for patients with pulmonary hypertension, thanks to funding from Janssen Pharmaceuticals for a research project at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.
Led by Dr John Wort and Dr Laura Price, consultants in pulmonary hypertension, the research project aims to determine whether a certain disease biomarker, known as NT-proBNP, can be measured from a patient finger-prick blood sample sent via the post and if it is comparable to a regular hospital blood test taken at clinical appointments.
Dr Wort said: “This study will tell us if we can rely on remote monitoring of this important marker of heart failure in patients with pulmonary hypertension. If we can, it will really increase the amount of important information we can get from remote consultations, especially as these will be part of patient care moving forwards. So, although a relatively simple study, the results should have big implications.”
To read more, click here.
Royal Brompton cardiologist wins prestigious accolade
Dr Brian Halliday, consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton Hospital, has been awarded the 2022 Young Author Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology, in recognition of outstanding research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Heart Failure. Dr Halliday received this award for his study 'Heart Rate as a Marker of Relapse During Withdrawal of Therapy in Recovered Dilated Cardiomyopathy.'
To read more, click here.
'Caring for those who give so much is a privilege'
Dr Debbie Ford, consultant clinical psychologist and cross-site lead for Staff Psychology at our hospitals discusses the service’s first year, her compassionate team members who sit alongside people in their darkest moments and her career journey.
To read more about Debbie’s role, what she finds rewarding and challenging, click here.
Debbie’s interview is part of a series of what our staff say about their jobs, what they like most about their work, and the best or funniest thing a patient has said to them. To access the series of interviews, click here.
Lung fibrosis researchers need you!
Imperial College is running a project to define stakeholders' priorities for progressive pulmonary fibrosis in partnership with the James Lind Alliance and the charity Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis. They want to hear from:
- People living with pulmonary fibrosis.
- A carer or family member of someone who has or had pulmonary fibrosis.
- A health or social care professional (including doctors, nurses, and others).
- An organisation representing the interests of people of pulmonary fibrosis.
This is your opportunity to have your say to identify the top ten priority areas for pulmonary fibrosis research. Find more information here and a direct link to the survey here. The survey should only take five minutes to complete.
New chair of trustees for The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity
The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity has announced that Jennifer Winter has been appointed their new chair of trustees. Jennifer will take over from the current chair, Richard Hunting CBE, who is stepping down at the end of his 10-year term.
Jennifer Winter said: “I am excited to be joining the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity as the chair of trustees. I am passionate about healthcare and am looking forward to working with the team to help to improve the lives of those who are impacted by heart and lung disease.”
Jennifer is currently chief executive officer of veterinary and pharmaceutical company Animalcare Group and has been a vice president at AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. She brings to the charity many years of leadership experience, in both the private and charitable sector.
Richard Bowyer, chief executive of Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, said: “Everyone at the Charity is excited to have Jennifer aboard as we embark on the next ambitious phase of our journey to improve the treatment of heart and lung patients. Jennifer has a huge amount of experience in the healthcare industry and her expertise will be immensely valuable to the Charity. I am very much looking forward to working with her.”
Jennifer will begin her term as chair of trustees on Tuesday 3 May and will be attending Charity events in the future.
Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity welcomes the return of the Harefield Fun Run and Family Day
After a two-year absence Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity will be holding the Harefield Fun Run and Family Day on Sunday 4 September.
The Fun Run will be taking a new four-mile route around the grounds of Harefield Hospital and the surrounding countryside. There will also be a family day with stalls, food and drink.
All the funds raised from the Fun Run will go towards projects to improve the care of patients at Harefield Hospital.
You can sign up to the Fun Run here.
The Brompton Fountain's ‘Healing Hearts’ appeal is aiming to raise £100,000 to fund lifesaving medical equipment at Royal Brompton Hospital
Many of our patients have complex heart and lung conditions and will require frequent, often lengthy admissions in hospital for surgery and on-going treatment.
The appeal will provide specialist equipment, including new 'state of the art' heart monitors and resources for the paediatric intensive care unit and children’s ward to improve the treatment and care of these patients and help aid their recovery and promote wellbeing.
By helping to ‘Heal Hearts’ you'll be supporting the world class care that these children receive during an admission and also help to fund 'hospital grade' equipment for use once they return home.
You can find out more about here.
MEMBER EVENTS
Health and wellbeing webinars- free for members and patients
Improving Pain Management in People with Severe Mental Illness
Tuesday, 10th May
17:30 – 19:00
Online- MS Teams
To register, please email [email protected]
This webinar brings together experts in pain management and mental health from Guy’s and St Thomas’ and SLaM to explore existing evidence and possibilities for improving pain management in this population. Speakers: Dr Whitney Scott, Clinical psychologist and lecturer; Dr Juliana Onwumere, clinical psychologist and senior lecturer; Dr Brendon Stubbs, senior clinical lecturer, physiotherapist.
Focus on Transplant
More information to follow by email in early May
Focus on Heart Failure
Over 100 members attended this informative event which focused on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research on heart failure.
Here’s what a patient member said following the webinar. ‘It was an enjoyable talk, not least as it incorporated various disciplines, who all play a part in the different aspects of treatment. All the speakers were very articulate and helped me understand a difficult subject.’
If you would like to watch the recording, please click here.
Council of Governors 2022 – Voting open from 22 April -18 May
We encourage all eligible members to vote in the elections. Members who are registered in the constituencies with open seats will be invited to participate and should have received an email from our election partner, Civica Election Services (CES) with instructions on how to vote.
For more information about the elections, including current constituencies invited to participate, please visit the Council of Governors 2022 election website. For any queries relating to the election process, please email [email protected]
To learn more about your Trust membership, share your feedback or update your contact details, please contact Nancy Dickinson at [email protected]
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