Presenting AF and Heart Failure

You can put your reading glasses away this week. It's like that class in school where the teacher wheels out the TV and you learn by watching.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to have been asked to speak at the pan-London Heart Failure training day. So rather than speaking to a group of AF doctors specialising in arrhythmia (heart rhythm disorders such as AF) management, the task was to speak to cardiology doctors specialising in heart failure (the weakening of the heart muscle). Whereas arrhythmia doctors spend more time in the cath lab doing procedures like AF ablation, heart failure doctors care for patients with weak hearts from any cause (a previous heart attack, a genetic cause, a viral infection). Heart failure and arrhythmia doctors cross paths when caring jointly for patients with heart failure due to atrial fibrillation and so it's crucial we understand each others viewpoint and so why sessions like these are so important to deliver the best patient care.

I want to share this video here to promote transparency between the conversations doctors have with each other about these conditions so patients can see the nuances and challenges of these conditions and how decisions are made. Hopefully the language isn't overly technical. Professor Schilling spoke at the event, specifically about which patients to treat with procedures like catheter ablation.

Enjoy and more of this type of content to come!