Articles tagged ‘Europe’

The health of European men is changing, with a reduction of 24 million men of working age (15-64) and an increase of 32 million men aged 65 and over across Europe by 2060, according to a report¹ on the health of men in Europe recently debated at Leeds Metropolitan University.

The second edition of the ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine is heralded as “Europe’s definitive print and online guide to the latest in cardiology”. This 2nd edition, a formidable 1300 pages in 38 chapters, is completely revised and updated since the first edition which appeared in 2005, and it includes new cardiological information in many specific areas such as, pregnancy, choice of imaging techniques, sports medicine and certification, for example. It also has more images and video content, with extensive MCQs, which can be completed to gain EBAC-accredited CME points.

Urgent coordinated action is needed to avoid the thousands of preventable strokes that leave many atrial fibrillation (AF) patients mentally and physically disabled or dead, every year. A report, How Can We Avoid a Stroke Crisis?, recently launched in the European Parliament by Action for Stroke Prevention, a group of health experts from across Europe, proposes measures to tackle stroke in patients with AF, the most common, sustained abnormal heart rhythm and a major cause of stroke(1).

A US study published in Circulation [1] demonstrates that school based automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) provide high survival rates for both students and non students suffering sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) on school premises.

The latest statistics regarding the use of pacemakers and implantable cardiac devices in Europe were presented at EUROPACE 2009, the meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) (1). These show large disparities throughout Europe. For example, Germany has one of the highest ICD implant rates in Europe, and EHRA commits to reducing inequalities.