St Bartholomew’s consultants helping to improve cardiac disease diagnosis in developing countries
Last month, a team of consultants and academics, including representatives from St Bartholomew’s Hospital, joined an international collaboration to develop the use of rapid cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in Cuba.
The scan, which uses magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the heart, can be performed in less than 20 minutes and is faster, cheaper and easier than traditional methods of diagnosing cardiac disease.
The collaboration – called Rapid CMR – which includes cardiologists, radiologists and technologists, aims to help clinical staff deliver the scans in low-to-middle income countries, where it would otherwise have not been available.
Professor James Moon, Clinical Director of Imaging at Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, said:
“At Barts Heart Centre, we have already implemented this fast technology in the screening of cardio-oncology patients and the assessment of iron overload and transfusion-dependent patients.
“I’m excited about the prospects of this technology in Cuba and the start of a continuous clinical and research collaboration which can help a large proportion of people at risk benefit from the best that modern medicine can offer.”
The first stage of the project involved an education and training program which included theory sessions, hands-on training and the discussion of clinical cases.
In the weeks following the conference, more than one hundred scans with rapid CMR protocols were set to be completed.
In the past two years, the project has been rolled out in Peru, South Africa, Argentina and India, with over 500 CMR scans for patients in need.
It has also provided four training courses and an international exchange programme which will deliver a sustainable service with lasting links.
Delegates from St Bartholomew’s Hospital included Professor Moon and Dr Sam Mohiddin, and Barts Heart Centre senior research fellows Dr Andreas Seraphim and Dr Katia Menacho.
The project was carried out at the Institute of Cardiac and Cardiovascular Surgery in La Havana, Cuba and the main coordinators were Dr Aylen Perez, Dr Amalia Peix and Dr Yamile Marcos.
For further information, visit the University College London website here.