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Telecare and telehealth systems will be rolled out to the homes of three million people over the next five years as part of a plan to help patients and reduce costs, according to a recent announcement by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The sixth annual Heart Rhythm Congress (HRC) returned to the Hilton Metropole Hotel at Birmingham between 3rd and 6th October 2011 attended by over 3000 delegates – more than ever before, reflecting the growing popularity of this annual meeting. This report summarises the highlights of the 2011 annual meeting of health professionals involved in the care of patients with heart rhythm problems.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is more common in patients diagnosed with coeliac disease (CD), though the excess risk is small, according to a study¹ in a large cohort of patients with biopsy-verified CD published recently in the European Heart Journal.

Psychologists Deirdre Holly and John Sharp assess the psychological effects of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Their systematic review reveals that anxiety and depression are common amongst the ICD patient population…

Apixaban was shown to be superior to warfarin for the reduction of stroke or systemic embolism with significantly less major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation in the Phase 3 ARISTOTLE trial, according to results presented during a packed Hot Line session at the 2011 European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris, and published simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine.¹

Commonly used painkillers are linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter, concludes a study¹ published recently on bmj.com.

A new study published in the journal Clinical Cardiology¹ reveals that in men with chronic heart failure, cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) improves patients’ libido, erectile dysfunction, and sexual performance. Royal Brompton Hospital cardiologists comment on the paper to Arrhythmia Watch.

Regulatory controls and safety testing for cardiovascular devices in Europe are in need of reform, according to calls from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) set out by a paper¹ published recently in the European Heart Journal.

Pericardial fat is associated with the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF), its severity, and poorer outcomes after ablation, independently of more systemic measures of adiposity, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology¹.

Women are receiving second-rate cardiovascular (CV) care compared to men, due to under-utilisation of guideline recommended treatments, according to research published recently in the European Heart Journal.