Celebrating its 10th year, Heart Rhythm Week will be taking place from the 1st–7th of June 2015. This amazing awareness campaign has brought together thousands of people worldwide to help raise awareness and understanding of arrhythmias. Let us once again join together to spread the word about how to detect and correct heart rhythm disorders globally. Together we can work to secure early diagnosis and improve outcomes for the many millions of people affected by arrhythmias!
How can you get involved?
We are happy to announce that we are conducting a fantastic collaboration with Dr Kevin Campbell in honour of Heart Rhythm Week. As our readers you now have the exciting opportunity to participate in an ‘Ask the Expert’ session with one of the top professionals in the field of cardiology. To get involved in the week please follow these steps:
- We will be collecting your questions this May via our social media platforms using the hashtag #EMJExpert. If you have any burning questions on heart rhythm disorders and/or the field of cardiology as a whole, then please submit your queries to us by the 29th May 2015. Dr Kevin Campbell will then answer all of your thought-provoking questions in an exclusive EMJ blog post to be published during Heart Rhythm Week (1st–7th of June).
- If you do not have access to any social media accounts, then do not fret, just drop us an email at [email protected] with the subject title ‘Ask the Expert – Dr Kevin Campbell’.
Who is Dr Kevin Campbell?
“I am a practicing cardiologist who also specialises in cardiac electrophysiology. In this role I am also a clinician educator and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since 2010 I have been the medical expert for WNCN NBC 17 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA (http://www.wncn.com/category/266453/wncn-today) and have been a weekly On Air Guest for Fox News and Fox Business, including—Happening Now, Cavuto, The Willis Report, Money with Melissa, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlton, and Hannity. I am also a regular guest on SiriusXM Doctor Radio. My passions include 1)closing the gap in cardiac care for women; I have written a book entitled “Women and Cardiovascular Disease: Addressing Disparities in Care”; 2) transforming healthcare through social media by actively blogging and engaging healthcare professionals and the public on Twitter and Facebook and; 3) bringing an accessible, understandable, and evidence-based approach to reporting health, science, and medical news. My blog, video clips, social media accounts, and additional information can be found at www.DrKevinCampbellMD.com.”
A few facts on heart rhythm disorders
1. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder globally. If we all live long enough, almost everyone will eventually experience an episode of atrial fibrillation.1
2. Sudden cardiac death affects nearly 500,000 people in the USA annually and nearly 100,000 in the UK annually. Out of hospital arrests are almost universally fatal. If we all learn CPR, it is estimated that bystander CPR can raise survival rates from <5% to >50%. If an automated external defibrillator is used, survival rates can reach 75%.2,3
3. Heart rhythm disorders are treatable. There are heart rhythm specialists throughout the USA, UK, and Europe who can treat and even cure many types of heart rhythm problems. These specialists are known as electrophysiologists and are able to cure rhythm problems with a catheter-based approach known as an ablation.4
How to get involved with Arrhythmia Alliance
There are many ways in which you can get involved in Heart Rhythm Week, from sharing information with your friends and family, volunteering your time at a pulse check event in your local leisure centre or work place, or by texting HRWK15 to 70070 to donate £3.
For more information on how you can join in with Heart Rhythm Week, download supporting fundraising materials, and learn more on everything arrhythmias, visit: http://www.aaaw.org.uk/.
REFERENCES
1.Colilla S et al. Estimates of current and future incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the U.S. adult population. Am J Cardiol.2013;112(8):1142-7.
2. Mozaffarian et al; American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics-2015 update: a report from the American Heart Association. 2015;131:e29-322.
3. British Heart Foundation. Heart Statistics. 2015. https://www.bhf.org.uk/research/heart-statistics. Last accessed: 14 May 2015.
4. Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). 2015. www.HRSonline.org. Last accessed: 14 May 2015.
