HRC 2009 Round Up

Arrhythmia Alliance and HRUK held the fourth annual Heart Rhythm Congress in Birmingham from 18th – 21st October 2009. With over 3000 attendees, 2009 was a record year for HRC.

Once again HRC played host to the HRUK Certificate of Accreditation Courses (Core, Devices and Electrophysiology), plus presentations from an international faculty, lively debates, informative patient group meetings and an extensive industry exhibition which ran throughout.

Patients Day on Sunday 18th October offered sessions from Arrhythmia Alliance (A-A), Atrial Fibrillation Association (AFA) and Syncope Trust And Reflex anoxic Seizures (STARS). Each session was well attended, particularly so for AFA with over 100 delegates including patients, family members and medical professionals. The day was a huge success, highlighted by patient stories and the ever popular ‘Ask the Experts’ opportunity for those afflicted with heart conditions.

Medical sessions kicked off on Monday with a packed room at the AFA Symposium which featured presentations by world renowned experts including Professor John Camm and Professor Richard Schilling. The STARS Syncope Symposium proved just as popular with presentations from international faculty member Dr Thomas Fahraeus from Sweden and syncope expert Professor Richard Sutton.

2009 saw a move from live cases to pre-recorded cases sponsored by Bard, Biosense Webster, Medtronic and St Jude Medical. Feedback from delegates has proven that this move was a good one, allowing for interesting and time managed demonstrations of technologically advanced surgical procedures.

The 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr Aubrey Leatham for his pioneering involvement in cardiac pacing since the 1950s.

The day was rounded up with a welcome reception and buffet supper in the exhibition.

Tuesday’s sessions included an incredibly popular and well received Allied Professionals meeting coordinated by Jayne Mudd from James Cook University Hospital and Donna Elliot-Rotgans from The Heart Hospital, London. Real Life Cardiac Genetics proved to be another highlight of the congress pulling in many delegates.

2009 contenders for the Young Investigator’s Prize vied for the coveted prize and after much deliberation the judges awarded two winners £200 and a certificate. The first, FS Ng of Imperial College London for his abstract ‘Modulating Gap Junctional Coupling with AAP10 and Carbenoxolone Reduces the Incidence and Delays the Onset of Reperfusion Arrhythmias Following Regional Ischaemia’. The second, JH Tuan of Kings College London for his abstract ‘Regional fractionation and dominant frequency in persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Effects of left atrial ablation and evidence of spatial relationship’. Both winners received their prize at the Gala Dinner, held on the evening of Tuesday 19th.

The Gala Dinner also played host to the Arrhythmia Alliance Excellence in Practice Awards. This year’s winners were:
Charles Lobban Volunteer Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arrhythmia Services 2009 – Mrs Julie Fear
Outstanding Contribution to the Management of Inherited Cardiac Conditions 2009 – Dr Anna Maria Choy
Outstanding Contribution to Arrhythmia Management in Primary Care 2009 – Miss Adele Graham
Team of the Year Award 2009 - Professor Arthur Wilde Cardiogenetic Department Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam

Wednesday’s sessions included the annual congress highlight Cases and Traces – an opportunity for electrophysiologists, cardiologists and trainees to present their own interesting or abnormal cases. By far the most popular session of the day, this is a session not to be missed at HRC 2010.