New scans will predict heart attacks before they happen, hope doctors

A NEW technique which could help predict heart attacks before they happen has been pioneered by Scottish doctors.

The method developed by medics at Edinburgh University combines the use of CT scans and special X-ray images to pick up dangerous levels of the calcium that blocks arteries.

Tests on more than 100 patients found the state-of-the-art pictures successfully identified those most at risk of cardiovascular disease.

It is the first time the processes that cause heart attacks have been captured directly in the coronary arteries.

Dr Marc Dweck, of Edinburgh University’s Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, said: “If we can identify patients at high risk of a heart attack earlier, we can then use intensive drug treatments and perhaps procedures such as stents to reduce the chances of them having a heart attack.”

There are nearly 2.7 million people living with coronary heart disease in the UK, and it kills 88,000 people each year.

Dr Dweck said: “The first presentation of cardiovascular disease is often a heart attack or sudden death.

“If we can get to these people before this happens, it is easy to see how we could save a great number of lives.”

Read the rest of this article here: Early warning of Heart attack

Read the clinical paper here: CLINICAL RESEARCH: CARDIAC IMAGING

Ideas on delivering health care in remote and rural communities in Scotland have been tested in Australia.

The team behind the project are in the running for a UK-wide award

The two-year Remote Service Futures Project has been completed by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and NHS Highland.

It looked at how communities could be involved in planning their health services.

The project’s suggestions on best practice have already been run as a trial in Australia, UHI said.

UHI and NHS Highland staff investigated the challenges facing rural heath care including staff recruitment and travelling times and costs for patients, families, carers and health professionals.

Their work has attracted international interest from academics and governments.

It has also been short-listed for a UK-wide award.

Article on BBC

HELEN PUTTICK  HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

18 Feb 2011

SENIOR health service staff are calling for a radical shake-up of hospital services and a rethink of waiting time targets as budget cuts bite.

Calls for a shake-up of Scotland's hospitals as departments face axe under proposals

In a hard-hitting report being sent to Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, senior managers with NHS Scotland say some hospital departments, including A&E, should be axed and other services centralised.

The unprecedented document lists a range of specialist treatments – including head injury care and organ transplants – which they say many managers and clinicians believe should be offered on fewer sites.

It demands an urgent review of the strategy to cut waiting times, revealing some senior officials believe the drive to slash the delay between GP referral and hospital treatment to 18 weeks this year will cost a lot without achieving much.

Screening men for a deadly weakness in the artery wall – which was due to be introduced this year – should also be reconsidered, according to the managers.

They stress changes are needed in order to avoid compulsory redundancies, pointing out recruitment freezes and reducing staff numbers through natural wastage will not deliver the shake-up required on their own.

It is rare for top NHS staff to say anything in public that might be seen as criticising ministers. However, the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) Scotland, which represents 90% of chief executives in the Scottish health service, has produced the report amid concern that people do not realise how tight NHS finances will become because politicians talk about “protecting” the health budget.

Rising expenses, including an annual hike of around 10% in the cost of prescription drugs and growing demand from an ageing population, mean health boards are facing real-terms budget cuts.

The report, which has already been sent to Derek Feeley, acting chief executive of NHS Scotland, says: “All of this will mean changes to the way the NHS operates on an unprecedented scale.”

Reconfiguring hospital services is repeatedly mentioned in the report, which notes consultants are concerned some specialist services do not treat enough patients or attract enough staff to meet quality and safety standards.

Martin Hill, secretary of IHM Scotland, said the way medicine was delivered had changed. He said some patients, such as the elderly, were being cared for at home more regularly, and that medical advances were making some forms of treatment highly specialised.

Click this link to find out more about the IHM in Scotland

Read the rest of this article HERE

The full text of the key paper Getting into Shape click the link below  [mc id="775" type="file"]Getting into Shape [/mc]

Dr Joseph Vettukattil pioneered its development at Southampton General Hospital

A leading cardiologist from Southampton is the first to develop a technique to “slice” 3D images of the heart into sections using computer software.

The method is known as multiplane review (MPR) 3D echocardiography.

It allows the user to identify heart defects more accurately than on traditional 2D or standard 3D scans.

Dr Joseph Vettukattil pioneered its development at Southampton General Hospital to identify heart abnormalities present from birth.

He said: “It helps us to cut the virtual heart (the image that the MPR 3D echocardiography produces) and slice it in any place we want, and expose the defects which helps us to understand what is wrong, and what we can do to fix it.”

Read the full article HERE

Rebecca McQuillan

12 Jul 2010

Despite suffering from daily seizures, Angela Stark can live at home, monitored by carers. Pic: Stewart Attwood

Angela Stark never knows when she’s about to have an epileptic seizure.

“One minute I could be standing, the next I could be down on the floor,” she says. The 40-year-old from Cowdenbeath might be in her sitting room, surrounded by glass ornaments, or lying in bed, but a seizure is always risky. She is prone to tonic chlonic seizures, probably the most serious type, which first make the body go stiff and then cause the limbs to jerk. Angela has one every week. They can cause injury and difficulty breathing; sometimes, if they go on for more than five minutes, she needs medical help.

Yet Angela lives alone. How can she manage to do that? Because of telecare guardian angel gadgets throughout her home, which ensure she is watched over remotely 24 hours a day. They can detect when Angela is having a fit so that a carer can be sent to help her.

Angela, who was diagnosed six years ago, relies on two devices in particular. The first is a bed mat that detects sudden repeated bumps indicating that she is having a seizure. She’s lost count of the number of times it has been activated. Sometimes it takes five minutes for the carer to arrive, sometimes 15 minutes, but for Angela, the important thing is knowing that someone will come to her aid.

“It’s a lifesaver,” she says solemnly. “It’s so important because I might have fallen out of bed. Sometimes they have to get the paramedics out. If I just kept fitting, that could be it.”

She also has a fall trigger pendant, on a cord round her neck. If it is knocked horizontal, indicating she may have fallen, it sends a wireless signal to a detector unit, which alerts call handlers via a phone line. The emergency team immediately call to speak to Angela; if they get no response, they send someone straight round.

“The pendant and bed sensor have given me real peace of mind,” says Angela. “They’re brilliant. People wouldn’t be able to live on their own if this equipment didn’t exist.”

Click the link to read the full article on Telecare and Healthcare Technology at home

Open for Registrations 22nd and 23rd September 2010

Register now for the most exciting eHealth conference in Scotland this year! Held at the prestigious Glasgow Science Centre you not only have a great programme, wide range of exhibitors, great views over the Clyde and City but complementary entrance to the fun science exhibits as well!

The futuristic building mirrors BCS Health Scotland’s Innovative and Modern outlook See Here

We have an extensive International speaker Programme over both days with three themes held in twin parallel tracks.

Keynote speakers include:

Matthew Swindells, former CIO Connecting for Health, and chair BCS Health

Rikard Lovstrom from Sweden to talk about their National Patient Overview project and eHealth strategy

Dorothy Whittick from Canada talking about the Canadian Health Infoway national developments and a Wellness project in Alberta

Brian Robson from Scotland on the Quality theme and his experiences with IHI in America.

Kathy Dallest from Australia speaking on Clinical Safety Management in eHealth.

New! NHS Scotland eHealth Awards!

An exciting new event will be presentation of the ‘NHS Scotland eHealth Awards!’. These awards are given to winning NHS teams for three categories sponsored by BCS and Scottish Government.

Twin Exhibitions: We are very grateful to our sponsors with 18 commercial exhibitions in a superb bright atrium area and ANOTHER FIRST: 15 public information stands in a separate gallery open to the public. There is plenty to see!

The three main themes to be addressed at the BCS Health Scotland Conference 2010 are Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency. International speakers from Australia, Canada, Sweden, America, Ireland, Wales and numerous UK speakers will position themselves on current relevant issues such as patient safety, the quality strategy, efficiency gains from IT and more.

For the first time, the NHS Scotland eHealth Awards will be presented to eHealth teams in Scotland. These awards will be presented by Scottish Government and by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, to help boost the status of the IT profession in NHS Scotland at a time of significant change.

Moreover the new Vidiowiki delegate social networking tool will be used for linking up delegates before and after the event. Users can navigate a mind-map of delegates, speakers and exhibitors to create linkups and watch short clips about presentations and demos. This will help planning and networking before coming to the event.

A selection of posters will be available to view during the conference:

• A novel security risk assessment model – Napier University
• Clinical content modeling – NHS National Services Scotland
• Trans-national exchange of eHealth innovations in northern Europe- Aberdeen University
• A Study to evaluate the effectiveness of an electronic dashboard – Ulster hospital
• A Study to evaluate the response times for alerts – Ulster hospital

Around 250 participants are expected to take part in this open event. Online registration is possible here. Details about fees and early bird registration can be found online.

A draft programme for the event can be found online at the event website.

Exhibitors are also leading a fun social evening at 5pm on the first day.

Yet again BCS Health Scotland has been able to produce all this for the incredibly low delegate registration prices starting as low as £30.

So register soon for the early bird rates, find us here BCS Health Scotland Conference

• A report by a think-tank and auditors calls for more research into regional behaviour and health systems – to explain why Scotland’s health continues to struggle to improve. Picture: Getty

Just under £2,000 is spent per head on health in Scotland – about £250 more than in England – said the Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR) think-tank and auditors KPMG.

The study said there was a 12-16 per cent higher spend per person and 30 per cent higher staffing levels north of the Border in the NHS.

Reductions in death rates, including from cancer, heart disease and strokes, were welcomed but the authors argued they do not go as far as expected.

On life expectancy, the report said improvements in Scotland did not match those in England.

The report also said that Scotland’s 30 per cent higher level of staffing should be investigated through a new regulatory body to ensure value for money.

CPPR’s John McLaren said: “Our research has shown that while health spending and staffing levels per head in Scotland appear to be greater than in England, we are not experiencing the improved health outcomes that might have been hoped would have followed.

“This could be due to worsening needs in Scotland relative to England, for example due to differing behavioural patterns, but at present it is difficult to convert any such higher needs into extra costs.”

The report said smoking has declined in the past ten years but the number of smokers in Scotland “remains higher” than elsewhere in the UK.

The rate of deaths linked to alcohol is more than double the rate in England, the study added.

“Greater comparability of UK health needs, health systems and behavioural patterns is required, along with the incorporation of lessons to be learnt from international evidence,” Mr McLaren said. “This research should be conducted with an eye to what potential savings or reductions in demand, with regards to future health budgets, might be possible.”

The Scottish Government said health was not improving quickly enough but said parts of the report were “ill-informed”.

Click the link to read the full article about Scotlands Health

Neil’s Urbanathlon for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

http://www.justgiving.com/Neil-Campbell0

Hello

I am raising money for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland by doing the Edinburgh Ubanathon on the 30th of May – an urban 10k  race with a twist!

As the Urbanathon is “only a 10k” I thought I would add some Bonus runs to give you value for your sponsorship

Bonus RUNS…

1. On 24th of April I ran the Highland Fling 53 miles on the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum.

http://www.highlandflingrace.org/ I completed the Fling in about 13.5 hours. Very tough and took a lot to finish.

For some Photos of the Highland Fling on Flickr Click Here

2. Ben Lomond Hill Race. 12.6 km and 980m climb. I ran a PB in this tough Hill Race Details and photos here

3. Goatfell Hill Race 15th May. 9.63 miles with 856m climb. I PB’d again this week details and photos here

4. Cape Wrath marathon 22nd May http://www.capewrathchallenge.co.uk/

I have had the privilege to work with Chest Heart and Stroke over a few years now and they are a fantastic charity that makes a real difference in peoples lives.

If you have found this site useful please Make a donation to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.

Aye

Neil

Neil Campbell
Scottish Healthcare
Improving Patient Care through Technology

As part of a strategy to put the region at the forefront of a potentially lucrative emerging sector, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is to host a high level summit on the future of telehealthcare.

The challenges of managing the world’s ageing populations and of moving towards a low carbon economy are driving interest in the means of delivering healthcare from a distance through advances in information and communication technology. Governments around the world are expected to accelerate their use of remote clinical monitoring, supported self treatment and telemedicine in order to deliver an effective service.

To discuss how the region might take a lead in meeting this demand, around 50 delegates have been invited to Aldourie Castle, Loch Ness, on May 5 to contribute ideas on the delivery of telehealthcare in Scotland over the next decade and on building a telehealthcare cluster of international repute.

Dr Steven Dodsworth of HIE’s head of life sciences explained: “This region offers great potential to be a centre of excellence in this sector. We already have an encouraging number of companies developing expertise in this field who are working alongside healthcare professionals and communities to overcome the challenges of healthcare at a distance.

“The Centre for Rural Healthcare in Inverness’ Centre for Health Science is highly regarded and with the Inverness Campus in prospect, we look forward to sharing views with the sector’s leading public and private operators on a future full of opportunity.”

The following day there will be presentations and workshops at the Centre for Health Science on topics such as our changing attitudes to maintaining health and wellbeing  and the use of technology to deal with clinical emergencies in remote places.

Telehealthcare covers a range of services such as supporting elderly patients who wish to remain in their own homes; helping people to take control of long-term health conditions and enabling people in remote locations to consult health professionals with minimum inconvenience.

Harriet Dempster, Highland Council’s director of social work said: “This event will enable representatives from government, health and social care providers and patient groups to discuss ideas with Scottish companies and multinationals and to develop a shared vision. It represents a confident step in putting this region at the forefront of modern health and care delivery promising real benefits for the wellbeing of its residents.”