Update of the HF Guidelines
As previously reported, Dr Martin Mpe and the HeFSSA Exco have embarked on the mammoth task of updating the HF guidelines. The aim is to use the ESC Guidelines as basis en then produce an Executive summary from a South-African perspective without losing the core of the ESC guidelines. The target audience will be Non-Cardiologists. We are now in the second phase of this process where the initial draft is now under discussion by the Exco. Hereafter, other special interest groups will also have the opportunity to give their input. The due date for these guidelines to be ready and available is 23 October at the SA Heart Congress in East–London. This will be followed by an education drive targeting General Practitioners.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship from Astra Zeneca, the Heart Failure Society of South Africa is updating our website. The HeFSSA Exco has contributed to ensure that the content is updated, relevant and interesting. The first draft version is now being assessed by the Executive and will be formally launched at SA Heart Congress. The HeFSSA website will be linked to SA Heart Association website as per agreement at SA Heart General Council meeting in Feb 2011.
European Society of Cardiology(ESC) meeting, Paris, 28th August-1 September 2011: The international Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Registry which will take place under the auspices of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC in all ESC affiliated countries including South Africa was presented by Prof. Karen Sliwa. The web-based data entry, including a feed-back system to the physician entering the information, will commence September 2011.
The annual SA Heart congress will take place from 23 – 26 October 2011 in East London. At this year’s conference HeFSSA again plans a GP Cardio Update. The workshop is scheduled for 23 October from 12:00 – 16:00. HeFSSA’s aim during this workshop is to educate as many general practitioners as possible on Heart Failure and general cardiology. I would like to thank Astra Zeneca for their support of this program.
HeFSSA will furthermore contribute at this year’s congress with both Prof Karen Sliwa and Prof Sandrine Lecour’s expert input. They are developing a joint HeFSSA and SASCAR symposium on heart failure and a second, more clinical workshop on preventing HF in pregnancies. Prof. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek from the Institute of Gender Research, Herzzentrum Berlin, Germany and Prof. AJ Shah, London, UK as well as local speakers will present in these sessions.
HeFSSA aims to intensify the drive to increase membership of both the specialist and general practitioner’s fraternity. Contact the HeFSSA office if you want to learn more about these events or if you want toparticipate in any of the programs.
Contact details:
George Nel
Tel: 083 458 5954
Email: info@hefssa.org
Sanette Zietsman
Tel: 083 253 5212
Email: zietsmans@vodamail.co.za