Fainting — or syncope — is a temporary loss of consciousness caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain, and 50% of the population will faint at least once in their lifetime.

Thirty years ago, I started the charity STARS (Syncope Trust And Reflex Anoxic Seizures), following the diagnosis of my daughter with RAS (Reflex Anoxic Seizures) — the most severe form of fainting. 

Fainting is traumatic for the patient and never simple 

Most people are unaware that fainting could be a warning sign for a potentially serious and life-threatening heart condition. In many cases, fainting is the only sign of an abnormal heart rhythm which is a leading cause of SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) — a devastating condition that kills 100,000 people in the UK alone each year. A history of fainting is often the only symptom prior to SCA. 

Facts about fainting  

• Approximately 30% of adults and 39% of children misdiagnosed with epilepsy have an underlying (and often fatal) heart rhythm defect, known as an arrhythmia. 
• One in three visits to A&E are due to syncope but many are mistaken for epilepsy. 
• Among the elderly, falls may be due to syncope. They often end up in residential care and lose their independence, but if syncope was diagnosed and treated with a pacemaker, they could remain independent and lead active lives. 

A history of fainting is often the only symptom prior to SCA.

The difficulty of diagnosis 

The challenge in correctly diagnosing syncope or RAS is that by the time the person sees a doctor or reaches a hospital, they have recovered consciousness. The symptoms experienced before losing consciousness can last only seconds or occasionally one to two minutes, and the period of unconsciousness itself can be even less, at 20–30 seconds. Full recovery, in most cases, is within one hour. Witness information is therefore important. 

Campaigns to help people get diagnosed 

To raise awareness of fainting and its possible link to fatal heart rhythm conditions, STARS launched ‘Take Fainting to Heart,’ a campaign encouraging people to take fainting more seriously and contact their GP after unexplained unconsciousness. As per guidelines, they can then have a 12-lead ECG to monitor the rhythm of the heart and ensure a heart rhythm specialist reviews the results. 

Moreover, The Blackouts Checklist was produced to help individuals and their doctors reach the correct diagnosis for any unexplained consciousness.  

For three decades, STARS has worked to raise awareness and educate about the importance of fainting and its links to possible heart rhythm conditions and to provide much-needed support to patients and their caregivers. 

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Early identification of elevated cholesterol levels in younger adults can have significant long-term benefits later in life. 

Identifying disease risk 

If people take action early on, even modest decreases in cholesterol can have benefits, explains Professor Philip Calder, Head of Human Development & Health, University of Southampton, who has an interest in nutrition and disease risk. 

While there are different types of cholesterol in the blood, it is LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol that is the harmful, or ‘bad’ cholesterol. 

“It increases risk of heart disease because cholesterol can be deposited in the blood vessel wall and that starts the process of clogging up the arteries. It is very important for people who have high cholesterol to lower their levels.” he says.  

Early intervention 

However, while there is a focus on finding people with high cholesterol and trying to get them to lower it through lifestyle interventions or statin drugs, Professor Calder believes that younger people with lower cholesterol should also be aware of the potential future risk. 

“Cholesterol levels go up as we age, so it makes good sense to catch people sooner and try to help them not go along the path of having high cholesterol,” he adds. “Tackling cholesterol earlier, before it has got too high, is very important.” 

Younger people with lower cholesterol should also be aware of the potential future risk.

Lifestyle & dietary choices 

Figures show that if you lower cholesterol by 10% in someone who is middle-aged, you can decrease the risk of heart disease in later life by 50%. 

By highlighting the risk to people earlier in life, he says they can make lifestyle and dietary choices to reduce later risk. 

Weight loss,reducing alcohol intake, doing more physical exercise and changing diet are also important. “There is a direct link between what people eat and their blood cholesterol concentration,” says Professor Calder. 

Saturated fat such as animal fat, butter, high-fat cheese and palm oils raise cholesterol. He suggests people switch to unsaturated fat by using margarine-type spreads and vegetable oils and eating more fibre.

Plant stanols in food 

“In addition, people might want to think about plant stanols,” he says. “For example, Benecol products contain plant stanols and these partly stop you taking up cholesterol in the body and that can lower cholesterol.” 

Plant stanols are found naturally in foods so combined with other lifestyle interventions food with added plant stanols can help people to take control of their cholesterol levels, one of the risk factors for coronary heart disease.

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A defibrillator is lifesaving equipment that gives an electric shock to the heart of someone experiencing ventricular fibrillation so that their natural pacemaker can reboot and restart in a normal rhythm.

Defibrillators will become increasingly common in workplace and home settings, says Jonathan Gilbrook, Managing Director of medical equipment firm, WEL Medical. Once, defibrillators could only be used by trained medical professionals, but technology now makes them simple to operate. Virtually anyone can use them to save a life. 

How will the defibrillator market change in the next few years? 

JG: In recent years, guideline changes regarding first aid in the workplace have seen defibrillators included in training courses. Plus, they’ve become increasingly visible in public locations. The Premier League have funded thousands of defibrillators, supplied free-of-charge to football clubs across the UK. Many of these have still not been claimed (visit premierleaguedefibs.org/ to claim one).  

We believe that demand for defibrillators in workplaces will continue to grow. As technological improvements make defibrillators smaller and less expensive, the biggest change in the next five years could be their appearance in homes. 

It’s reported that 80% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home.

How are you responding to this increase in acceptance of defibrillators? 

JG: People want modern technology, simplicity of operation and value for money, so we’re about to introduce a more cost-effective defibrillator aimed at the layperson and workplace. We also produce outdoor and indoor defibrillator storage cabinets which will soon be able to connect to the Internet of Things to allow people to remotely see that their defibrillator is being stored correctly and ready to save a life.  

It’s reported that 80% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home, so we’re working on a reasonable-cost defibrillator as part of our iPAD range for the domestic market. Our Brayden range of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training manikins have been specifically designed to help laypersons understand and learn CPR. 

What is being done to increase chances of survival for cardiac cases in the home? 

JG: A challenge has been educating the public about defibrillators and CPR. We’ve been privileged to work with philanthropic and charitable organisations across the UK and Ireland that raise money to place defibrillators locally and provide CPR training.  

In an emergency, people must know where defibrillators are located. The British Heart Foundation has a national database of public-access defibrillators — called The Circuit — linked to the Ambulance Services. If you’re responsible for a community defibrillator, or you have one in your workplace and are prepared to let the community use it, put it in an outdoor cabinet and register it with The Circuit (thecircuit.uk). 

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Dr Andrew Bellinger

Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Medical Officer, Verve Therapeutics

Gene-editing medicines that permanently and significantly lower cholesterol and the risk of heart attacks could revolutionise the field of cardiovascular disease. 

Finding a way to prevent and treat heart attacks is a personal quest for Dr Sekar Kathiresan, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of genetics medicines company, Verve Therapeutics. 

“Like so many families, ours has lost loved ones to cardiovascular disease,” he says. “My grandmother, uncle and brother all died of premature heart attacks. Both my uncle and brother were only 42 years old when they passed. My family’s experience led me to these questions: Why do some people have heart attacks at a young age — and might some be naturally protected?” 

Dr Kathiresan found the answers when he and other human genetics researchers discovered people who naturally lacked any of several cholesterol-raising genes including PCSK9 and ANGPTL3. This meant they had a disease-causing gene permanently switched off, leading to very low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, so-called ‘bad cholesterol’) in their blood and, as such, were naturally protected from the risk of heart attacks. “Whereas, people with high levels of LDL-C are more likely to suffer a heart attack,” explains Dr Kathiresan. 

The ability to permanently switch off a disease-causing gene 

This discovery led to Verve’s mission to develop a pioneering medicine: one that mimics natural protection by turning off the PCSK9 gene in high-risk people, thereby with the potential to powerfully lower their LDL-C levels. “To do this, we chose a second generation gene-editing technology called base editing,” explains Dr Andrew Bellinger, Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Medical Officer at Verve Therapeutics. “First generation gene-editing technology cuts the DNA in the gene in a specific location. However, base editing is an even more targeted approach which provides us with the potential to permanently change a disease-causing gene. Rather than cutting it, it’s more like correcting a spelling error with a pencil eraser.” 

This new approach — called VERVE-101, which is now at the clinical trial stage — is delivered as a one-time intravenous medication. 

It could be good news for people struggling to control high cholesterol with daily pills or intermittent injections. “Despite the medicines we have available to treat cholesterol, only about half the patients who have suffered a heart attack are currently taking an LDL-C lowering medicine,” says Dr Bellinger. “The chronic care model requires daily pills or intermittent injections over decades and places a tremendous burden on patients, providers, and the healthcare system, leading to a large unmet need. We hope to offer patients a new option – a one-time treatment, permanent lowering of LDL-C.” 

We’re extremely grateful to the participants
in our study for trusting us and furthering
our understanding of HeFH.

Dr Andrew Bellinger

Innovation passport to speed drug development 

The company hopes that it will be able to use VERVE-101 to dramatically alter treatment for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), an inherited genetic disorder that causes high cholesterol, and ultimately, ASCVD. Nevertheless, Dr Bellinger admits there’s still a long road ahead before this medication becomes available to patients on the NHS. 

“We’re extremely grateful to the participants in our study for trusting us and furthering our understanding of HeFH,” he says. “At present, we’re running a clinical trial in New Zealand and the UK, with regulatory clearance from the MRHA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), the UK regulatory authority. 

“We’ve also received an innovation passport from MRHA and NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) that is designed to accelerate drug development and access in the UK to novel therapies. We’re hopeful that it will help speed up the process so that we can make it available to everyone who needs it.” 

A future with less risk of heart attacks 

 Ultimately, Dr Kathiresan and Dr Bellinger believe that the therapy will be a medical game-changer. “It won’t just revolutionise the way we lower cholesterol,” says Dr Bellinger. 

“It could revolutionise the whole field of cardiology and cardiovascular disease. This is how we will treat heart disease in the future. We won’t wait for someone to have a heart attack, give them a stent and put them on five different medicines. Instead, we will be lowering their risk of heart attacks earlier by lowering their LDL-C with one-time therapies. That’s a really exciting thought.”

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Dr Andrew Bellinger

Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Medical Officer, Verve Therapeutics

To reduce the risk of heart attacks, the key is to lower the levels of so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol as much as possible for as long as possible. 

Despite what you may have heard or read, high cholesterol — a lipid (or fat) produced in the liver — isn’t just a normal part of ageing. Getting the cholesterol as low as possible for as long as possible is probably the best way to treat as well as avoid a heart attack. 

The big problem is that, due to genetics, lifestyle and/or diet, many of us have far too much low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) — so-called ‘bad cholesterol’ — storing up a time bomb of trouble in our blood vessels. Without treatment, this can lead to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), a condition that can have serious and sometimes fatal repercussions. 

“Problems occur when cholesterol starts building up in the walls of our arteries,” explains Dr Andrew Bellinger, Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Medical Officer of genetics medicines company, Verve Therapeutics. “When we’re younger, this is just a sort of fatty smear; but, over time, it can cause inflammation and plaque buildup. If larger, fattier, unstable plaque deposits rupture, they can block an artery. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke, which is the leading cause of death in the world right now.”

People with high levels of LDL-C are more likely to suffer a heart attack.

Dr Sekar Kathiresan

People with low LDL-C are more resistant to heart attack

The statistics are alarming. In England, heart disease accounts for around a quarter of deaths, with 140,000 people dying from the condition each year, according to the NHS. To reverse this trend, it’s crucial to get LDL-C levels as low as possible, for as long as possible, insists Dr Sekar Kathiresan, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Verve Therapeutics.

“People with high levels of LDL-C are more likely to suffer a heart attack,” he says. “Extensive research has shown that we are all probably meant to live with an LDL-C around 1 mmol/L. Those who have naturally occurring DNA variation that keeps their LDL-C low are more resistant to heart attack and ASCVD.

Inefficiencies of the chronic care model for ASCVD

Traditionally, lowering cholesterol has meant taking daily treatment, such as statin medication, often for decades. However, Dr Kathiresan believes this is part of a broken — and expensive — model of chronic care. “CVD-related healthcare costs in England are estimated at £7.4 billion per year,” he says, “with annual costs to the wider economy estimated at £15.8 billion, according to the UK Health Security Agency.”

The fact is that only half of the people who should be taking cholesterol-lowering medication actually do. There are a few reasons for this, but the main one is that the chronic care model of daily pills or intermittent injections over decades places a heavy burden on patients, providers and the healthcare system. 

Treating the disease with a breakthrough one-and-done approach

In what promises to be an exciting breakthrough development for the field of cardiology and cardiovascular disease, Verve Therapeutics is pioneering a new approach to ASCVD with a once-and-done gene-editing medicine designed to durably lower LDL-C after a single intravenous infusion. In animal models, this investigational medicine has been shown to lower LDL-C by up to 70% with durability for more than two years, raising the possibility of a once-and-done treatment for LDL-C and ASCVD.

“There’s a belief that high cholesterol and its associated risks are just a normal part of ageing that we have to accept,” says Dr Bellinger. “We’re saying that it really doesn’t have to be that way. And we won’t accept it. High levels of LDL-C are a leading contributor to heart attack and current treatment options are too burdensome to address a majority of patient needs. A once-and-done treatment has the potential to protect the world from cardiovascular disease.”

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Paul Le Breton kept a close eye on his heart condition. Having undergone heart surgery in 2008 to replace his faulty aortic valve, Paul knew that within 15 years, his bioprosthetic valve would likely begin to wear out.

“I knew my valve was possibly getting near the end of its life,” says 58-year-old Paul, owner of an auto repair garage in Guernsey. “So, I had some tests done locally.”

Necessary heart surgery

Paul underwent testing in 2020. After being monitored for two years, his cardiologist reviewed new test results that showed a startling discovery. Not only was Paul’s replacement valve working at just 20% capacity, but he also developed an aortic aneurysm — which could be life-threatening if it were to rupture or split.

“My doctor said, ‘You need to get this repaired within two weeks,’” recalls Paul. “It was a complete shock to me. He said there was one surgeon he would recommend to do it.”

Having an intensive care team, including a consultant anaesthetist available around the clock, ensures patients, like Paul, always receive the best care.

Seeking an expert surgeon

Paul immediately scheduled an appointment with Ranjit Deshpande, MBBS, FRCS, a cardiac surgeon at Cleveland Clinic London. The hospital opened in March 2022, and Paul and his wife, Emma, made the 45-minute flight to London to meet with Mr Deshpande.

“Paul’s artery was enlarged to almost six centimetres — a stage where it can rupture or lead to fatal bleeding,” notes Mr Deshpande. “He would need a major operation, and we couldn’t put it off for too long.”   

Paul experienced a sudden and unexpected tragedy when one of his brothers suddenly suffered cardiac arrest and passed away. While devastated by the news, it reinforced the severity of Paul’s situation, and he went ahead with the surgery just days after his brother’s death.

Complex surgery with a great result

Mr Deshpande led a specialised team through a simulation the night before the surgery. The next day, they completed the procedure, during which he repaired the aneurysm and replaced the faulty aortic valve, which had begun leaking blood into Paul’s heart.

Mr Deshpande emphasises one of the most important parts of the process is post-operative care. Having an intensive care team, including a consultant anaesthetist available around the clock, ensures patients, like Paul, always receive the best care. Emma adds: “The staff were brilliant and so informative.”

Paul points to his care team as the key to his thriving recovery. “I’m back playing golf and working out in the gym,” he says. “I feel better than ever.”

The post How complex heart surgery can give you your life back appeared first on Health Awareness.

Dr Robert Herman

Digital and Innovation Committee Member,
European Society of Cardiology Chief Medical Officer, Powerful Medical

Two experts in the field of cardiology say that AI will transform life for patients with suspected heart problems because it can improve diagnosis with timely and accurate referrals.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the UK, causing one in four deaths and affecting an estimated 7 million individuals yearly.

Can you explain how the typical journey of a cardiac patient begins?

JB: Patients with heart disease can present with different symptoms, including chest pain, palpitations, dizziness and shortness of breath. If symptoms are mild, the beginning of their journey would be to see their GP, who, typically is the gatekeeper to specialised care. If the GP decides their condition needs further investigation, they will be referred to a cardiologist. When symptoms are severe, patients would go to the hospital’s A&E department or be taken to emergency care by ambulance.

What diagnostic tools aid in the diagnosis and management of cardiac patients at the first point of contact?

RH: The GP reviews the patient’s medical history and performs clinical examinations. They record an ECG (an electrocardiogram, a test which detects the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity), which is one of the most-performed and accessible diagnostic tests available at the first point of contact, also used by paramedics for patients in A&E.

What are the obstacles at the first point of contact, and how can technology solve this?

RH: A major obstacle is that ECGs can be difficult to interpret. GPs who do not specialise in cardiology tend to be cautious and refer the patient further. However, the problem with that is that emergency and cardiac departments are often overwhelmed with suspected cardiac cases, even if entirely innocent. In other cases, they can overlook conditions that could have serious and potentially fatal consequences — if not dealt with in time.

To address this challenge and need, we have developed a diagnostic tool called PMcardio which can digitise and analyse any ECG within seconds — and diagnose up to 38 cardiovascular diseases— be it in a primary or emergency care setting. It uses our certified AI technology to harness knowledge from millions of previous patients providing outputs with unmatched precision and speed.

What advantages does this device offer to healthcare professionals?

RH: By combining the precision of AI ECG interpretation and the contextual analysis of the patient’s symptoms and medical history, it can recommend the referral decision and treatment plan — as if the healthcare professional had a cardiologist sitting right next to them.

PMcardio is MHRA registered, MDR CE-certified and has been launched commercially in the UK, accessible in the form of a simple smartphone application. It is available for healthcare professionals in the NHS and is being used in several practices throughout the country.

How can AI technology influence the cardiac patient journey from the perspective of cardiologists?

JB: Cardiologists know the importance of appropriate timing and efficiency in providing the best care for patients. We are often inundated with referrals of concerned patients, mainly seeking reassurance.

If a diagnostic solution is available that is quick and tailored to each individual patient and can streamline the referral pathway, it can dramatically improve patients’ outcomes and wellbeing. This means that cardiologists and emergency services can triage patients optimally and address the appropriate treatment to those in most urgent need.

Which research and development initiatives will have the most significant impact on the care of cardiac patients?

RH: We are developing technology that can predict potential risks of cardiac patients before symptoms become visible, so they can change their lifestyles and/or be given preventative treatment.

Our AI algorithms will allow for an analysis of seemingly normal ECGs and detect any occurrences of arrhythmia or precursors to heart attacks. This will turn PMcardio from a detection tool to a prevention tool, making it crucial for physicians to have access to this technology.

The post Why AI is proving to be a force for good in cardiovascular health appeared first on Health Awareness.

It’s important for cardiac patients to attend rehab programmes, says Dr Kathryn Carver, President of the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation.

What are cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes? 

These are free NHS programmes, delivered by healthcare professionals to BACPR standards, usually running over two to three months. They aim to empower people who have experienced a cardiac event with the confidence to manage their condition through better knowledge and exercise. Attendees can ask questions and address health concerns, particularly if they haven’t been able to see their GP. 

How are the programmes delivered? 

There are group sessions available outside hospital settings in local community locations, such as gyms and church halls. However, some patients may be happier to follow a programme at home via an NHS-approved app, or virtually via the web, and receive a weekly follow-up phone call from a healthcare professional. It’s all about patient choice. 

Who is eligible to attend?  

Anyone who has had a heart event such as a heart attack, heart failure, cardiac surgery or angina. Patients can be referred to a programme by their GP, or they can self-refer. However, most attendees are referred after a hospital stay by their consultant or healthcare team. 

Patients can have a better quality of life
and valuable peer-to-peer support.

What do the programmes involve? 

They have an educational component. Then there’s an exercise component in a class setting — or, if preferred, patients can exercise at home. Programmes include an educational component where patients are given information about how best to change behaviours to adopt healthier lifestyles, they also include advice on risk factors and medicines along with supervised or home exercise sessions.   Patients are encouraged to keep healthy after the programme ends by accessing self-funded support services. 

Which healthcare professionals are involved in the programme? 

They can include cardiac nurses, physiotherapists, exercise professionals and dieticians. Psychological support is key, too, because cardiac events are often traumatic and isolating.  

What’s your advice to patients who are nervous about attending? 

Don’t be! We would urge every cardiac patient to come along and try it. These programmes are non-judgemental and so important. Patients can have a better quality of life and valuable peer-to-peer support — and, if their healthy lifestyles continue, decrease risk of further cardiac events and reduce the chance of hospital readmission. 

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Professor Neil Poulter

Cardiologist

Liz Hoggard

Journalist & Author

Home blood pressure monitoring can help a doctor make the diagnosis and monitor the treatment of hypertension which leads to reduced risk of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

In the past, high blood pressure — or hypertension — has often been diagnosed via a ‘snapshot’ one-off reading in the GP surgery or clinic. But health experts acknowledge that this approach often delivered inaccurate outcomes. 

Average reading 

Patients are now asked to measure their blood pressure in the comfort of their homes over seven days to ascertain an average reading. 

The recommended approach is for people to sit down, relax and take two or three readings, one minute apart in the morning and the evening. This can deliver a more accurate reading and leads to better diagnosis. 

Professor Neil Poulter says that the majority of people over 60 can be affected by high blood pressure. “It is a common problem … with 10.8 million deaths each year due to raised blood pressure,” he says. 

In the UK, 30% of adult men and 23% of adult women have hypertension. Measuring blood pressure at home with a clinically validated blood pressure monitor helps to get an early diagnosis and can advance achieving target values in combination with telemonitoring. 

Silent killer 

Clinicians call it the ‘silent killer’ because it rarely has symptoms, and many people do not even know they have hypertension, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, vascular dementia and kidney failure. 

Professor Poulter says home measuring is important to help clinicians diagnose the condition and prevent such cardiovascular events from occurring. 

“That gives a much better view of what blood pressure is throughout the week rather than one snapshot reading in a GP surgery; this can better help predict cardiovascular events,” says Professor Poulter, who established the global blood pressure screening campaign May Measurement Month in 2017. 

“We can then treat people with drugs and dietary measures to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.” He emphasises the importance of the correct usage of a machine that is clinically validated.  

This is about primary prevention of blood pressure
because prolonged blood pressure
can cause a variety of problems.

Yassir Javaid

White coat and masked hypertension 

Dr Yassir Javaid, a GP with a specialist interest in cardiology, says: “Multiple readings at home, averaged out, is a much more accurate reflection of day-to-day blood pressure than having a reading done in a clinic.” 

GPs no longer tend to base diagnosis and treatment of hypertension on clinic readings. He also pointed to the phenomenon of ‘white coat hypertension’ where patients can have elevated blood pressure in the clinic but normal blood pressure at home.  

However, he emphasises that white coat hypertension should not be dismissed as those patients may develop hypertension in the future. 

There is also ‘masked’ hypertension where patients display normal levels of blood pressure in clinical settings but actually have elevated blood pressures elsewhere. With home blood pressure monitoring, patients and GPs will be able to see these readings.  

Benefits of home monitoring 

Emphasising the value of home readings, Dr Javaid says: “This is about primary prevention of blood pressure because prolonged blood pressure can cause a variety of problems.”  

Patients can share written blood pressure readings with their GP or send them digitally via devices such as the OMRON Connect app and device. Sharing data contributes to improved therapeutic compliance and achieving target values earlier, which reduces cardiovascular risks significantly.  

Freelance journalist Liz Hoggard, 60, who has a family history of heart disease and high blood pressure finds the OMRON device helpful and easy to use. She regularly uses it and says she benefits from real-time assessment in a familiar environment, rather than going to a GP.  

According to Liz Hoggard: “The advantage is that the app does the analytics in terms of the rolling average … Very early aggressive intervention can pretty much get rid of the excess risk, but the foundation is a healthy lifestyle before we even think about starting medication.” 

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Wendy McCarthy, 82, talks about the importance of seeking help from healthcare professionals when symptoms progress and how the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure has given her a new lease of life.

After leading an active life into her early 80s, enjoying her garden and spending time with friends, former schoolteacher Wendy McCarthy found that she was increasingly feeling unwell.

She was becoming breathless, and as her symptoms persisted, she had tests with her GP and was given an inhaler at one stage. Then, one evening, she was particularly ill and called her daughter Lucy and an ambulance.

Wendy found herself in the A&E department at her local hospital in Peterborough. As she drifted in and out of sleep, she turned to her Christian faith and asked her family to read from the Bible, fearing her life was nearing its end.

Further heart investigations

At the hospital, Wendy was offered palliative care, though her brother felt there were other options and pushed for further investigation.

They found that she had aortic stenosis, and her heart valve needed replacing. She was moved to the cardiology ward; however, she suffered a further setback when she contracted pneumonia and had to recover before the heart procedure could resume.

After spending four weeks in hospital recovering, she was transferred to a specialist cardiac hospital, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge – just before Christmas 2021.

TAVI heart procedure

Wendy had a history of heart problems as she had a heart attack in 1998 after losing her husband to prostate cancer.

After that, she had regular checks on her health including cholesterol readings but led a full and active life. When she fell ill again, her family provided support.

Once she came under the care of the cardiology team at Royal Papworth Hospital, they decided that she was suitable for a TAVI procedure, which went ahead just before Christmas 2021.

Wendy wasn’t afraid of getting the procedure done. Expecting the procedure to take place at 14.00, she was pleasantly surprised that it was moved forward to the morning. “I was excited, I was desperate to have the procedure and get better,” she recalls.

I was excited, I was desperate to have the procedure and get better.

Building strength back

Having been conscious throughout the procedure, Wendy was well enough to be discharged on December 27. Patients can usually go home after 48 hours, but Wendy stayed in hospital a few days longer as her procedure was over the festive period.

While her recovery from the TAVI procedure was quick and easy as expected, she needed a bit more time to get back to her fullest after being bed-ridden due to her pneumonia.

“My daughters got my house ready for my return home, but I needed lots of rest to recover,” she says. “Basic tasks like filling the kettle were a strain on my muscles, but later, I was able to begin rehabilitation in order to build strength back.”

With her family living close by, they were able to offer her continuous support, but now, Wendy is well on the road to recovery and was even able to drive to her final rehabilitation session.

New lease of life

Only a short time after her TAVI procedure, Wendy says she’s been given a “new lease of life.” She drives, visits her church again and has been able to regain much of the joy and energy she lost due to the illness.

With a love of gardening and meeting up with friends every week, a positive attitude has contributed to her recovery. “Life is for the living,” she says.

Heart care advice she would give to others is: “Be very careful about what you eat; avoid fats; and eat chicken, fish and vegetables; eat wisely and exercise.”

She insists that people should not worry about having the TAVI procedure. “It’s not scary, doctors know what they are doing,” she adds. “I would not be here if I had not had it done.”

©2023 PP–EU-6043 v1.0

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