Science
Seven highlights from the UK's biggest heart conference
Over three days in Manchester, scientists unveiled the very latest in heart and circulatory disease research at this year’s British Cardiovascular Society conference. Some of the brightest minds from the UK and around the world came together to share their latest work. Here are seven things we learned.
1. AI could help to rule out heart attacks…
Research into two new AI systems dominated the headlines, each embracing the power of data to help doctors with their lifesaving work.
One AI tool – Rapid-RO - could help tens of thousands avoid unnecessary hospital stays each year in the UK by rapidly ruling out heart attacks in people attending A&E, allowing them to be safely sent home.
The team, funded by us, found that of the 33,727 UK patients it was tested on, the AI tool successfully ruled out heart attacks in over a third (36 per cent) of patients, compared to 27 per cent ruled out by the current standard test.
Professor James Leiper, our Associate Medical Director, said: “This technology could help people avoid unnecessary hospital stays, allowing valuable NHS time and resource to be redirected to where it could have the greatest benefit.”
2. … and spot people at risk of heart failure earlier
Another study showed that a new tool, named FIND-HF, is able to accurately predict who is at highest risk of developing heart failure by identifying tell-tale patterns in an individual’s GP records.
Spotting people at high risk would help them to begin treatments earlier, when heart failure symptoms can be managed more effectively and its progress slowed. The researchers hope that the algorithm could be available for GPs with a simple push of a button in as little as three to five years.
Professor Bryan Williams, our Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, said: “Harnessing the power of AI through research like this takes us a step closer to improving lives for many more people affected by heart failure.”
3. Remotely monitoring patients could improve patient outcomes
BHF-funded research found that remotely monitoring patients after a heart attack could reduce hospital readmissions and improve patient outcomes. The study compared remote monitoring – known as telemedicine – to standard care following a heart attack.
Telemedicine patients were 76 per cent less likely to be readmitted to hospital within six months and 41 per cent less likely to attend A&E compared to those who received the usual care. Telemedicine patients also had a 15 per cent lower risk of repeat heart attacks after nine months.
Professor James Leiper, our Associate Medical Director, said: “Telemedicine could prove to be a valuable tool for clinicians to bring real improvements for patients during a difficult time in their lives.”
4. Research shone a light on health inequalities facing heart failure patients from ethnic minority backgrounds
Analysis of data from over 16,700 patients revealed that ethnic minority patients with heart failure are at 36 per cent higher risk of death compared to White patients after an average of 17 months.
When the researchers looked at people who also had atrial fibrillation, and controlled for factors like age, they calculated that ethnic minority patients were over twice as likely to die as White patients were during the 17-month follow-up period.
The researchers highlighted that that across 12 the trials they analysed, 89 per cent of patients were White, emphasising the need for under-representation of ethnic minority patients in trials to be addressed as a priority.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our Associate Medical Director and consultant cardiologist, said: “If we are to close this gap, it is vital we gain a better understanding of barriers in accessing care that face those from minority ethnicity backgrounds. It is also important that research is representative of those affected by cardiovascular disease.”
5. South Asians almost twice as likely to get coronary heart disease than White Europeans
Forward-looking research using data from over 17,600 South Asians spanning over 20 years found that South Asians are almost twice as likely as White Europeans to develop coronary heart disease (CHD).
The team found that even when accounting for risk factors including type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and lower physical activity levels, overall South Asians still had a 1.7-fold higher risk of developing CHD.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our associate medical director and consultant cardiologist said: “It is incredibly important that we continue to fund research that better helps us understand the underlying reasons why South Asians are at higher risk to enable better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease”
6. Heart scans could help thousands avoid unnecessary invasive procedure
Researchers part-funded by us showed that thousands of patients admitted to hospital every year with suspected heart attacks could avoid an unnecessary invasive angiograms if they have a routine heart MRI scan first. Researchers found that this could change how doctors treat at least half of patients.
The study involved 100 patients admitted to hospital with a suspected NSTEMI heart attack. 27 of the patients with a suspected NSTEMI heart attack did not have any major narrowing or blockages in their arteries.
The heart MRI scans of 18 of these patients showed either a normal heart or that other conditions were the cause of the problem. The researchers say that other courses of investigation, such as a CT scan of the coronary arteries, would have been suggested before an invasive coronary angiogram for this group.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our Associate Medical Director and consultant cardiologist, said: “If the results of larger trials are positive, this scan-first approach could help doctors to identify patients who don’t stand to benefit, allowing them to avoid the small but important risk of complications.”
7. Award winning researchers
BHF-funded researcher Dr Rasha Al-Lamee of Imperial College London was the deserving winner of this year’s BHF Fellow Award, recognising her years of groundbreaking work trialling the best ways to treat heart conditions like angina.
This year’s Michael Davies Award lecturer was Professor Eylem Levelt, in recognition of her fantastic work looking into the best ways to treat heart problems in people with diabetes, which we have supported previously.