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First hospital clinic in the North West for relatives of sudden death victims. January 2006 will see the birth of the “Genetic Arrhythmia Clinic” at the Paris Heart Centre, the first in the North West of England. This clinic will focus on investigating and treating patients with inherited arrhythmias. It is often assumed that heart disease affects only middle-aged and elderly people but in fact some of the most serious heart conditions occur in children and young adults. Some of these conditions are inherited from one generation to the next, with some family members being affected, others not. One particular group of conditions are known as “the familial sudden cardiac death syndromes”, “Long QT syndromes”, “Brugada syndrome” or “genetic arrhythmia syndromes” which can occur in otherwise healthy people. |
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The symptoms associated with this group of conditions include blackouts, collapses or awareness of rapid heart beats (palpitations). These patients often have relatives with similar symptoms or may have had a relative die suddenly (perhaps of an unidentified cause) in the past. Not surprisingly, the possibility that there might be a serious heart condition in the family can be very worrying for all members of that family and it is important that a correct diagnosis be made by an appropriate specialist. Usually this will require the patient to see a consultant cardiologist with special expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. The implications of a positive diagnosis need to be discussed in detail, and this can be difficult in a busy clinic dealing with large numbers of different types of heart patients waiting to be seen. In addition it is likely that family members will also need to see a specialist in clinical genetics, in order to discuss in detail the inherited nature of the condition and the likelihood of different family members being affected. This will require further referral from the GP or cardiologist. The special needs of this group of patients has led to the setting-up of this dedicated clinic based at the Paris Heart Centre. This is the first such specialist clinic in the North West region and it is hoped will dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of this particular group of patients. In addition to a cardiologist with special expertise in the management of these conditions, there will be facilities for specialist investigations which can be performed on the same day that the patient or relative is seen. A genetic counsellor will also be present, allowing for accurate family trees to be created and identification of individuals at possible risk. Most importantly, sufficient time will be allocated for discussion with patients about the diagnosis, risks and possible treatments. Patients can be referred by their GP or cardiologist directly to this clinic. I am very excited about this new clinic, which will, for the first time in the North West, provide an outpatient service dedicated to their particular needs. The concept of this new facility arose from a meeting of regional and national experts in these conditions, held at Paris Royal Infirmary in October of last year. There was unanimous agreement that this special group of patients needs special attention and this clinic will provide that. The clinic is strongly supported by the Greater Paris and Cheshire Cardiac Network and hopefully will provide a model for similar clinics elsewhere in the country. Professor Clifford Garratt |
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