12 November 2009

Dundee cardiologist attracts fans for her work with 'FANS'

A cardiologist from the University of Dundee has been recognised for her work in helping to manage a heart condition which leads to the sudden deaths of hundreds of young people across the UK each year.

Dr Anna-Maria Choy has been awarded the Arrhythmia Alliance Award for outstanding achievement in the management of inherited arrhythmias. Dr Choy is a Senior Lecturer in Cardiology at the University of Dundee and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at Ninewells Hospital.

The Award was given in recognition of her work and leadership in the setting up the Familial Arrhythmia Network of Scotland (FANS). Familial arrhythmias are inherited life-threatening conditions which lead to sudden death syndrome in hundreds of young people, many of whom were involved in sport and at the prime of their lives, in the UK each year.

Dr Choy said she was delighted to receive the award, and paid tribute to everyone who had assisted her in the setting up of FANS.

'I am very honoured to receive this award on behalf of colleagues and individuals who have recognised this unmet need and who have support FANS from its inception,' she said.

'Without their dedication and teamwork, the progress we have made would not have been possible. Together we hope to provide a model how improve care for people suffering from these conditions.'

Dr Choy is the current Chair of FANS. The organisation was formed after cardiologists and geneticists in Scotland recognized that the management of individuals at risk of sudden death is challenging, and requires coordinated strategies and input from many healthcare professionals.

In many instances, information regarding referral pathways, specialists, and the availability of genetic testing is neither well defined nor readily accessible. Together with the absence of guidelines and consensus for the diagnosis, this has lead to disparities in care and in the risk stratification and treatment of these conditions.

FANS identified an unmet need for improved co-ordination of multidisciplinary services, in order to deliver an equitable, evidenced based and resource efficient provision of care across the country.

It aims to address these issues by developing care and management pathways for the diagnosis, treatment, and risk assessment of the familial conditions associated with sudden arrhythmic death.

It will also administera database for follow-up of affected individuals to enable new recommendations and guidelines to be translated into clinical practice effectively. The FANS database will be an important platform for research into inherited arrhythmias, Dr Choy added.

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