News Archive

Congratulations to Prof Julie Redfern on her appointment to the World Heart Federation (WHF) Science Committee.

The Science Committee is the cardiovascular health and policy evidence based advisory committee for the WHF.  They provide strategic input, monitor new developments in cardiovascular science, assist with commissioning, reviewing and recommending appropriate medical and scientific statements and guidelines, position and policy papers, and science agenda of the WHF.

Dr Christopher Yu  at ESC 2022

Dr Christopher Yu, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney.

I was fortunate to be awarded the 2022 CSANZ ESC Travel Fellowship. This year, the conference was held in Barcelona, Spain and was the first face to face conference in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was surreal to find my long-lost passport and get back onto a long-haul flight.

I was excited to present part of my PhD at the conference, with two abstracts accepted as moderated poster presentations. The first abstract was a subgroup analysis of the SUCCOUR study assessing the role of baseline left atrial strain in predicting cardiotoxicity. The second abstract was assessing the role of cardiac magnetic resonance relaxometry in detecting anthracycline related changes compared to left ventricular ejection fraction. The presentations were well received, and it was great to receive feedback from the doyens of cardio-oncology. My PhD is under the supervisor of Professor Kazuaki Negishi, Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney, to whom I am grateful for his supervision and mentorship.

The conference felt particularly special as the first ever cardio-oncology guidelines were launched by Dr Teresa Lopez-Fernandez and Dr Alex Lyon. The main hall was overflowing with attendees, and it was a highlight to feel the buzz and excitement at the largest cardiology conference in the world. It also demonstrated to me that there is so much work to be done in the field to improve the cardiovascular outcomes of our cancer patients. Other highlights included meeting fellow antipodeans and overindulging Catalan food and wine together.

I am extremely grateful to the CSANZ for supporting me to attend this fantastic conference. It has given me inspiration to expand my network and continue my research in cardio-oncology.

View Chris’s presentation here on ESC365

Dr Julia Isbister at ESC 2022

Dr Julia Isbister, Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology, Centenary Institute and EP fellow at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney.

It was a pleasure to travel to the ESC Congress 2022 in Barcelona with the support of a CSANZ Travelling Fellowship for this exciting and energetic meeting.

I am in my final year of my PhD at the Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology, Centenary Institute and EP fellow at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. I was delighted to attend an my first in-person international meeting after the long COVID- enforced hiatus! The chance to meet with existing collaborators in person and hear from leaders in the field, particularly in the area of cardiac genetics and EP, was a wonderful experience.

I presented our recent study looking at concealed cardiomyopathy in autopsy- indeterminate sudden cardiac death victims, participated in the CSANZ daily highlights session showcasing work from Australia and New Zealand and gave an invited talk on the role of genetic testing following sudden cardiac death in the combined CSANZ/ESC session “Sudden cardiac death in the young: All you need to know”.

Many thanks to my PhD supervisors, Chris Semsarian and Ray Sy for their guidance and encouragement, and to the CSANZ for the support to attend and present at ESC 2022!

“Concealed cardiomyopathy” is an important cause of autopsy-inconclusive sudden cardiac death and diagnosis impacts care of surviving relatives https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/43/Supplement_2/ehac544.361/6744468 

Mr Justin Braver (VIC) at AHA 2022

Attending the AHA 2022 conference in Chicago was a privilege and I am grateful to the CSANZ for supporting my attendance via a Travelling Fellowship. I am a physiotherapist by background, undertaking a PhD at The University of Melbourne in the Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health.

My research is exploring the effectiveness of disease management programs that incorporate digital health to prevent recurring cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with an acute coronary syndrome. I concurrently work in industry for a health insurer, whereby I design and implement remotely delivered preventative health programs.

At the AHA, I presented my research in the “Digital Health to Manage Cardiovascular Disease” session. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a 6-8 week digitally enabled cardiac rehabilitation program on improving risk factors and health status in patients who were hospitalized for coronary artery disease in Australia. Longer term follow-up over 12 months for hospital readmissions and mortality was also evaluated. All participants had private health insurance hospital cover with one provider. We showed that a digitally enabled cardiac rehab program improved clinical, behavioral and lifestyle risk factors. There was also a trend towards lower readmissions and mortality rates in people who undertook either the digitally enabled program or a traditional face-to-face cardiac rehab program compared to a propensity matched control group who did not undertake any cardiac rehabilitation program.

My area of interest at the conference centred around digital health to improve CVD outcomes. Leading researchers from Stanford, Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic presented on key themes, namely digital health equity (“techequity”), patient centred design, wearables (including their use across the health journey from wellbeing, diagnostics & disease management) and a lot of discussion on the influence of sleep for heart health. Moreover, it was interesting to learn that many of the same challenges that we face here in Australia are also felt globally. The issues around the underutilisation of cardiac rehab and the importance of co-design when developing digitally enabled healthcare programs are key for preventing recurrent events and mortality in patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes.

View Justin’s Abstract, “Effectiveness of a Digital Health Enabled Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in Reducing Recurrent Events For Private Health Insurance Patients in Australia” in AHA Journal, Circulation on the link here and below: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circ.146.suppl_1.12446?af=R

Click here for a summary of the new and amended Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listings that may relate to your practice, including heart failure, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia.

For further information on broader PBS changes, please visit the PBS website.

Also please note relevant information and authority application forms have been updated and can be accessed through the Services Australia website.

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