Network Work programme: Arrhythmia

Atrial Fibrillation - 'The Hidden Disease'

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advise that Atrial Fibrillation is a ‘hidden disease’ that affects over one in ten people over 75 and is the commonest sustained cardiac rhythm disorder.

The condition is important to diagnose early as it is a major risk factor for Stroke and people with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) have a one in twenty chance of having a Stroke.

Many patients presenting with stroke are also found to be in AF, indicating a missed opportunity to diagnose the pre-existing AF and administer appropriate antithrombotic therapy.

AF is the most common arrhythmia seen in primary care. The prevalence of AF roughly doubles with each advancing decade of age, rising to nearly 10% in people over 75.

The following resources, amongst others, are currently available on the Arrhythmia Alliance website http://www.aaaw.org.uk/   and these will support you with any local activities that you might wish to undertake.

• ‘Know your pulse’ film – a life-saving message in two minutes.
• Pulse Check Guide - this is a simple self-educational four step guide to teach people how to take their pulse, what it means, when they should check it and when it is advised to seek medical investigation for any irregularities. This is the key resource for the 'Know Your Pulse' campaign which has been produced with the assistance of our Medical Advisory Committee. It has been used by individuals, organisations and our partners in other countries to promote the ease of a simple health check that can detect potential cardiac arrhythmias. The essence of this resource is to promote prevention through early diagnosis.
• ‘Know Your Pulse' poster - this is a key visual resource which is primarily used to inform members of the public of the key message, ‘Know Your Pulse’. People have used this for displays in medical surgeries, libraries, schools and community centres.
• Referral letter - This is a new resource which is used by medical professionals that are running a pulse check clinic. When they find a member of the public who has an irregular pulse, they complete this letter and give it to the individual for them to take to their GP.