AFA

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AFA Patient Days

AFA Patient Days aim to bring together patients, carers and medical professionals to learn from each other and share experiences of living with Atrial Fibrillation.

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Contact Vicki by email: admin@afa.org.uk or call 01789 451 837

2013 AFA Patient Day

Join us on 20th October 2013 at The ICC in Birmingham. Ask questions to some of the leading heart rhythm specialists in the UK and share your experiences with other patients and carers.

This year's agenda will cover some of the areas you have got in touch with us about:

10:00-10:25 - Diagnosis with AF: what care and management should all patients receive?
10:30-10:50 - Symptomatic AF: what drug therapies are available?
BREAK
11:00 -11:30 - Ablation: who is this for, how might this improve my outcomes?
11:30-11:55 - Diagnosed, assessed and treated… but what future can I expect and what follow up or care should I take?
LUNCH
13:45-14:10 - Services which can support recovery after diagnosis of AF
14:10-14:30 - Rights and expectations in the 'new NHS'
BREAK
14:40-15:40 - Round table topics:
Exercise and AF
Anticoagulants – what is available and for whom?
Accessing therapy – what can I do if I am clinically recommended for a therapy?
Can I talk - meeting fellow members
Life and AF – food, travel and work
Treatments exhausted – what next?
16:00 - Close

Europe AF 2012

Europe AF Patients Day was held in London on Sunday 18th November 2012. Over 50 patients and carers attended at the London Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel.

Professor Hugh Calkins was among the clinicians who presented on the day. His presentation on cattheter ablation can be viewed here.

2012 AFA Patients' Day at the Heart Rhythm Congress (HRC), ICC Birmingham

AFA Patients' Day 2012 was our most successful to date. We were joined by over 150 patients and atrial fibrillation specialists on Sunday 23rd September 2012 at The ICC in Birmingham.

Patients were presented with seminars on various issues surrounding AF, which were led by prominent names in arrhythmia healthcare. This was followed by a workshop where clinicians were interacting with patients to answer questions and gain a better understanding of diagnosis, treatment options and living with AF.

2011 AFA Patient Day at the Heart Rhythm Congress (HRC)

A tremendous day was enjoyed by more than one hundred AFA members at this year’s HRC AFA Patient Day. An interactive exhibition enabling delegates to try out catheter tools, AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) and learn more about existing and new support services and devices available, the day started with a breakfast workshop seeking opinions and ideas for new on-line information resources for Atrial Fibrillation (AF).

By mid-morning we were learning about how we can all be involved from volunteering and fundraising to sharing information and ensuring AF is a priority within NHS services.

Presentations then followed looking at assessing the risk factors, the role of anti-arrhythmic drugs and anti-coagulants.

With presenters happy to stay and talk with delegates long after the close, AFA would like to thank all members of Faculty for their time and support in making this day possible.

If you would to register for further information on AFA Patient day at HRC 2012, to be held in Birmingham at the ICC, please email sarah@afa.org.uk.

2010 AFA Patient Day at the Heart Rhythm Congress

Members arrived from across the UK to attend the annual AFA Patient Day held in Birmingham during the Heart Rhythm Congress.

The packed day was enjoyed by over one hundred AFA members and offered access to the exhibition, where AED Locator, AllClear Insurance, Arrhythmia Alliance, Medtronic, Omron, Roche, St Jude, and STARS all had stands offering information, hands on experience of devices and monitors and access to key representatives who were very happy to talk about the technology and new options on show.

The day also provided presentations ranging from being under 60 with AF, exercise and AF, living alongside AF and the importance of ‘know Your Pulse’ and greater understanding and insight into current and new treatment options, why do we develop AF? And how can we judge and interpret trial results. Completing on the role of therapy and hypnotherapy in supporting the person ‘behind the condition’ and then the popular ‘Any Questions’, the day was complete.

Feed-back from those who attended has been extremely positive, and we look forward to building on your suggestions for further topics in the 2011 plans!

AFA would like to thank all members of Faculty who so kindly gave their time to attend and support the meeting and to the companies who helped make the exhibition such a success.

Exercise and AF, is there any evidence and what does it suggest?

Presented by Dr Andreas Wolff, GPwSI, Darlington

AFA Patient Day at The Heart Rhythm Congress 2009

This year’s AFA Patient Day was held on Sunday 18th October at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole Hotel. More than one hundred members attended to listen to a wide range of presentations and browse the first dedicated Patient Exhibition at HRC. This year, both Arrhythmia Alliance (A-A) – www.heartrhythmcharity and the Syncope Trust And Reflex anoxic Seizures (STARS) – www.stars.org.uk held Patient Day meetings at the same event, so once registered, delegates could select from more than twenty presentations during the day!

To register an interest to attend future AFA Patient Day events, please email jo@atrialfibrillation.org.uk.

Many AF presentations from the day have kindly been permitted to be included on the AFA website by the individual presenters. Please click on the following links to read notes and view slides of the day.

1) The Patient Day Agenda – Sunday October 18th 2009 at the Heart Rhythm Congress

2) A Patient’s Journey – Mr Bob Dove, AF patient

3) Seeking an Understanding – Mr Martin Harman, AF patient

4) Causes and Triggers of Atrial Fibrillation – Dr Andrew Grace

5) Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for AF – Dr Graeme Gillespie

6) Catheter Ablation for AF, is it a cure? – Dr Mark Earley

7) Excercise and AF - Professor Patrick J Doherty

8) Read Summary of the Day