Last updated at 15:52, Friday, 21 September 2012

AN annual walk is helping to beat heart disease, one step at a time. Reporter JO DAVIES finds out how the sponsorship money has been invested locally

Title
Author
Copyright

Description

FROM the cheery send off by mascot Mr Hearty, to the return of applause by well-wishers, everybody who has taken part in the British Heart Foundation’s annual Barrow/Walney Walk knows how much fun it is.

But what the hundreds of participants may not realise is they’re actively helping to beat heart disease, one step at a time.

Supporting the walk not only allows participants to take care of their own heart health but also to raise money for the British Heart Foundation’s life-saving work.

To see that in action the Evening Mail was invited to Furness General Hospital’s Cardiac Clinical Investigation Unit which houses the Heartwave Stress Test System, bought with the proceeds of last year’s walk.

Wired up like the bionic man Geoff McClure demonstrated the £12,000 piece of kit.

The electrodes attached to Geoff’s chest and upper arms monitor his heart rate and blood pressure as he exercises on the treadmill.

The test is designed to determine if symptoms such as chest pain are brought about by physical activity.

It is part of the hospital’s commitment to see patients complaining of chest pains within a fortnight.

“A patient has to fit certain criteria and have certain symptoms,” explains Cross Bay team leader for clinical investigations, Kay Smith.

“A patient is guaranteed to be seen in two weeks when they will attend an out-patient clinic and be seen by a consultant.

“After examination the consultant will decide whether they need an Exercise Tolerance Test (ETT).

“We will be watching response to heart rate, ECG, blood pressure and seeing how they respond physically to increased exercise.

“Sometimes we can exercise patients and they don’t bring on symptoms but the ECG changes will indicate there’s something going on behind the scenes.

“These are the most dangerous types of patients because they’re oblivious to what’s happening.”

The results give consultants information about the severity of any coronary heart disease and will help them plan appropriate treatment.

In addition to state-of-the-art equipment the BHF has also invested in staff training, with a particular success story being that of senior echocardiographer, Stephanie Conaghan.

The BHF funded her training and Steph has subsequently worked tirelessly to develop the department, alongside consultant cardiologist, Dr Ayaz Mohammed.

The department has applied for a bid to fund a junior technician through her British Society of Echocardiography Accreditation.

“They give us money to back fill her and release her out of duties,” explains Kay.

“It’s a really demanding two-year programme so it has to be supernumerary to them because it’s extremely difficult to recruit highly specialised technicians to this area.

“We call it ‘grow your own’.

“BHF don’t do it for everybody but they recognise that people here are out on a limb.

“Steph was trained through them. And we’ve developed the service with help from them.

“That’s why it will support our application, because we’ve already had one successful person who’s stayed and ended up as a manager.

“Steph was one of the first and I think it was a pilot at the time because there was a national shortage of echocardiac technicians.”

Walk organiser Ray Short said: “Steph has done brilliantly well and stayed in Furness and really built the department up.

“It is hoped that this year’s walk will help to support further requests for assistance from the Cardiac Unit.”

Ray added: “Five years ago we bought the echocardiogram we’re hoping to replace, which was £35,000 – all BHF money.

“The stress test machine bought last year was £12,000, which pretty much took the whole of the walk money.

“Just over 10 years ago BHF assisted the cardiac rehab unit in FGH by paying for two nurses, that was £48,000, and the hospital took it over after two years of funding by the BHF. In the past two years two heart failure nurses have been appointed to the area at a cost of £97,000, all provided by the BHF.

“Anything that’s raised by the sponsored walk has more than come back into Barrow in that period of time.”

Participants have just over a week to enter and can also enter on the day, at a charge of £5.

First published at 16:26, Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk