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Aortic Dissection Awareness campaign to improve diagnosis and treatment SCTS members need to prepare for the impact of a major campaign this year to raise awareness of Aortic Dissection, which it is expected will improve diagnosis of AD and increase the number of referrals for surgery. Christina Bannister, Nurse Case Manager, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust
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he ‘Think Aorta’ campaign is being led by patient association Aortic Dissection Awareness (UK & Ireland). Mr. Gareth Owens, Chair of the association, addressed the plenary session of the SCTS annual meeting in Glasgow last March. ‘Think Aorta’ is a collaboration between Aortic Dissection Awareness (UK & Ireland), SCTS, RCEM and Heart Research UK. Working together, a team of patients and clinicians have created educational resources about Aortic Dissection in the form of a learning podcast and a ‘Think Aorta’ poster, to increase awareness and early diagnosis of patients presenting with Aortic Dissection. SCTS was represented by Miss Deborah Harrington, Consultant Cardiac & Aortic Surgeon at the Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital. The podcast has attracted lots of positive comment since its launch in April and has been downloaded over 5,000 times. In July, the campaign will follow the success of the podcast by distributing ‘Think Aorta’ educational posters to every A&E department in the UK & Ireland. Posters will also be provided to cardiac surgery centres upon request. Catherine Fowler, Vice-Chair of AD Awareness (UK & Ireland), explained: “Aortic Dissection is an emergency that is often fatal when missed. Currently, a diagnosis of Aortic Dissection is considered in less than
half of patients who present with the condition. One third of patients with Aortic Dissection are actively treated in the Emergency Department for an incorrect diagnosis. The ‘Think Aorta’ campaign aims to tackle this problem. It was inspired by my Dad, Tim Fleming, who died of an Aortic Dissection in 2015 after being being sent home from A&E with an incorrect diagnosis of gastroenteritis. In common with many other family members of patients who have died from a missed diagnosis of Aortic Dissection, this heartbreak drives us to want to make a change. We are delighted to have the full support of SCTS, RCEM and HRUK in addressing a problem that the professionals tell us can be solved by increasing awareness and educating clinicians about Aortic Dissection. We would like SCTS members to help us spread the ‘Think Aorta’ message.” You can download the ‘Think Aorta’ resources here: www.thinkaorta.org. The team at Aortic Dissection Awareness (UK & Ireland) encourage you to share them widely. The ‘Think Aorta’ campaign will dovetail nicely into Aortic Dissection Awareness Day 2018, to be held in London on 19th September. Each year, AD Awareness (UK & Ireland) chooses an Aortic centre that is doing excellent work in the field and awards them the honour of hosting this annual flagship event. This year the honour goes to Barts Health NHS Trust. Over 200 AD survivors, family members, clinicians and other healthcare professionals will gather
in the historic Great Hall at Barts for a day of inspiring presentations and discussions about the state-of-the-art in treating Aortic Dissection. The theme of the day is ‘Caring for the Whole Aorta’. In the morning sessions, leading specialists and one of their patients will walk through the entire patient pathway for Aortic Dissection, from genetics and screening, through diagnosis, surveillance, BP management, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, to recovery and follow-up. In the afternoon, the focus will shift to improving standards in the diagnosis and treatment of Aortic Dissection across the UK & Ireland. SCTS President Mr. Richard Page will give a keynote address about implementing the new NHS Service Specification for Thoracic Aortic Dissection. Event invitations will be posted out shortly. SCTS members who have not already registered their interest in attending can do so via the thinkaorta.org campaign website. “We are determined to make 2018 a year of change in the diagnosis and treatment of Aortic Dissection” says Gareth Owens. “We have built excellent working relationships with SCTS, RCEM, the Royal College of Radiologists and a number of leading Aortic centres to enable us to do this. Our membership also includes over 220 Aortic Dissection survivors and through them we have links to every Aortic surgery centre in the UK. The ‘Think Aorta’ campaign and Aortic Dissection Awareness Day on 19th September are two major initiatives that we believe will start to alter the landscape for Aortic Dissection patients in the UK & Ireland. I expect that this will create an increase in Aortic Dissection cases for SCTS members and we are working with the Society to measure this impact.” n
