Wythenshawe Hospital ICD Support Group
icdsupport for cardiac patients
PATIENT'S MEETINGS
Open Meeting Report
16th October 2024
Dr Ian Temple was the guest speaker at the Autumn Meeting of the ICD Support Group. This took place as usual in the Church Hall at All Saints Church, Hale Barns, and took the form of Questions and Answers posed by the patients present. Dr Temple has been a cardiology consultant for 8 years and has worked at four leading heart centres in the North West of England.
Dr Temple’s special area of interest and research is arrhythmia and questions were focused on a range of related issues. Aspects included possible treatment methods and medication. The use of ablation to correct “short circuits” from scar tissues after a cardiac arrest was also explained. In Dr Temple’s experience, the success rates for ablations can be in the 60-70% range. However, if the patient is having a VT ablation, and there are several areas within the heart which need to be ablated, this reduces the success rate.
VT ablation may not be suitable for some patients if there are multiple “hotspots” which need to be ablated.
A series of questions concerned practical restrictions for patients with ICD’s. For example, reluctance was reported to allow one patient to have a mammogram, and another had a similar issue before eye surgery for cataracts.
Queries were raised about possible influences from modern equipment such as smart watches, induction hobs, etc. Interference from this type of modern equipment will be detected at your next device check. If you receive a shock while using a smart device stop using this immediately, move away from the device and contact the cardiac physiologist on 0161 291 4615 to seek advice. You will most likely be required to perform a device check.
Airport security scanners were also mentioned, and Dr Temple’s advice was that hand scanning is preferable, and his advice is not to linger in the scanning tunnel. To put this into context, Dr Temple has never personally had to deal with a case resulting from these risks.
All ICDs and CRTDs implanted now are MRI compatible. This means the device settings must be altered prior to having the MRI scan and reset afterwards, along with a quick device check. Patients having a box change will get an MRI compatible device but you should always check before you leave the hospital.
Dr Temple did state however that MRI scans can be a problem, particularly with older devices. The patient should advise the doctor carrying out the scan if they have an old device. (This only apples to MRI scans, and is not an issue with CT Scans or X-Rays.)
The numbers of ICD’s fitted increased significantly about 10 years ago, following re-definition of the criteria by NICE. For the last 5 years the number has been fairly stable. Some of the increase is due to greater success in treating heart attack patients.
Jeremy White
Open Meeting Report
10th April 2024
CARDIO-PULMONARY RESUSCITATION
The topic of the 2024 Spring meeting was CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation), following on from the article on this subject in the March Defibber News. The presentation was by Cath Brownhill, who had been employed in the NHS for 40 years and most recently at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Before CPR is given to a patient they must be assessed for any surrounding potential dangers and if there is any sign of response or indication of normal breathing. It is vital to ensure that the tongue is not blocking the airways by tilting the patient’s head back with one hand while holding the mouth open with the other.
The CPR techniques were then introduced in an entertaining and interesting way and demonstrated using a resuscitation dummy). The importance of obtaining help quickly was stressed, through a 999 call, sending someone to retrieve an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), if close by and the support of other available people. The ideal rate for carrying out chest compressions is 100 to 120 per minute, in cycles of around 30 at a time. Cath highlighted the importance of continuing uninterrupted chest compressions. Adrienne and Tina (two of the senior nurses in the Support Group) assisted Cath and demonstrated the handover of CPR to a colleague to maintain continuity. Various members of the audience also took the opportunity to practise the technique.
The process of using an AED was explained, and the equipment was used in training mode to demonstrate how instructions are given from the AED. The pads must only be placed on dry and uncovered skin when cardiac arrest has been confirmed and chest compressions are in progress. There are usually towels to prepare the skin, and scissors to cut away clothing if necessary.
Cath also discussed how to find out where your nearest AED can be found. You can find the nearest defibrillator to you by visiting one of these websites.
Defib finder – find the defibrillators nearest you.
Search & Find UK Defibrillator Locations Near You | HeartSafe Map
Jeremy White - Chairman
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Open Meeting Report
11th October 2023
Professor Simon Williams was the guest speaker at the Autumn Meeting of the ICD Support Group. This took place as usual in the Church Hall at All Saints Church, Hale Barns, and there were 57 people attending. Professor Williams has been a Consultant Cardiologist at Wythenshawe Hospital for nearly 20 years, and he conducted a Question and Answer session taking questions from the floor.
His particular area of interest and research is “heart failure,” and this prompted discussion on the suitability of the term. The comment was made that the word “failure” has the suggestion of a terminal condition. Prof. Williams explained the difference compared to a “cardiac arrest”. The discussion expanded to cover four different types of cardiomyopathy, (See Defibber News March 2023) some of which have genetic links. In conclusion, Prof. Williams explained that there is international agreement on the use of the term “heart failure” and nobody has come up with an alternative so far.
Heart failure treatments had been “revolutionised” in recent years due principally to the introduction of new medications such as Entresto and dapagliflozin. (See Defibber News December 2021)
A further question concerned the application of stents. Prof. Williams explained their use in keeping arteries open when “furring up” is occurring. It is important to realise that stents do not eliminate furring up, and patients need to be alert to changing lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet and not smoking.
On the day after the meeting, the Secretary received an email from a lady who had attended a meeting for the first time since the pandemic. She said:
“I just wanted to say how grateful & appreciative I am to have been part of this meeting. It helped me enormously, he made it very light-hearted but equally covered a lot of very important information.”
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Open Meeting Report
Wednesday March 22nd 2023
VIDEO of part of Dr Malhotra's remarks to the audience
The Wythenshawe ICD Support Group held a meeting at All Saints Church Hall in Hale Barns which was well attended by nearly 60 people on the afternoon of 22nd March 2023. Dr Aneil Malhotra was the guest and his talk was very enthusiastically received by his audience. He is a consultant cardiologist at Wythenshawe and Manchester Royal Infirmary Hospitals and is also a Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. He leads various research projects with a special interest in cardiomyopathy affecting young athletes. In addition he is the lead cardiologist with a number of professional sports teams, including both Manchester City and Manchester United
Dr Malhotra stressed the importance of exercise and advised that even as little as four hours brisk walking each week produced a noticeable benefit to heart function. In the age category below 35, around 1000 people die annually due to sudden cardiac arrest, and 80% of these had shown no prior symptoms.
Above 35 years of age other factors grow in significance particularly during exercise. Patients are more likely to have coronary artery disease, with reduced blood flow due to “furring” of the arteries.
The objective should be to have at least 150 minutes of brisk exercise each week to cause the heart to beat faster. In considering the possibility of too much exercise, a helpful guideline is that the maximum heart rate should be in the region of “220 minus age”.
The meeting closed with a Question and Answer session. Dr Malhotra answered a variety of questions, including the effects on the heart of viral infections (including Covid), possible merits of routine clinics for hereditary heart conditions and the value of routine monitoring of children as practised in Italy, Japan and Israel.
The audience feelings were positive about a very wort
hwhile afternoon, and were nicely summed up by a lady who wrote to the Secretary afterwards,“What an exceptionally wise & knowledgeable, impassioned, life affirming, forward thinking Cardiologist. To have the support and care from a Consultant like him would make life with this cruel disease so much easier to bear."
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OPEN MEETING REPORT
Wednesday August 10th 2022
A successful meeting was held in the All Saints Church Hall in Hale Barns on 10th August. It was a particular pleasure for the Support Group to meet because the pandemic had meant that no open meetings had been possible since November 2019.
Dr Mark Ainslie, a consultant at Wythenshawe Hospital since March 2020 conducted a Question and Answer session, which was enthusiastically received by the 55 people present. Before coming to Wythenshawe he undertook a 2 year fellowship in Ottawa, and was for a short time a consultant at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
