Heart Rhythm Congress in 12th year

Twelve years ago, the first Heart Rhythm Congress took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham with an invited audience of 850. I am delighted to say that this year, our annual symposium is bigger and better than ever. Due to take place at the ICC in Birmingham between 1-4 October, it will welcome over 3000 delegates including 500 patients as well as healthcare professionals ranging from specialist nurses, to GPs, cardiologists, physiologists and electrophysiologists and policy makers. They come from all over world to take part in the symposiums, meetings and networking events and to share the latest news on technological breakthroughs, medical innovations and patient studies.

The first day of the Congress is dedicated to patients, which is a unique opportunity for medical professionals and experts to interact with people who suffer from arrhythmias and learn their insights into this debilitating range of conditions.

Many professionals say that this is a hugely rewarding experience and patients also report excellent feedback – many register year after year. There will be numerous meetings running concurrently throughout the day and will include issues such as dealing with acute stress disorder caused by repeated ICD firings as well as the latest ablation techniques.

We will also be hosting an industry exhibition which will run throughout the four day meeting. Here, delegates will be able to see cutting-edge innovations which are in development and those which are now available on the open market. Medtronic, Abbott and Boston Scientific are just three of the dozens of contributors who will be taking part in the exhibition. There is open access to all and smaller start-ups will share space with multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies.

Healthcare Professionals who attend the congress will qualify for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points and it will also be possible for to gain further specialist accreditation at seminars and workshops.
I get such satisfaction seeing patients talking to doctors talking to industry innovators at our networking events and during breaks. Our gala dinner, held on Monday night, will also be the setting for the Arrhythmia Alliance Excellence in Practice annual awards for Best Team, Best Individual and Volunteer of the Year.

This year, we have had a record number of applications for our annual Healthcare Pioneer Report, and winners will be announced at the dinner. Their reports, which highlight best practice globally, will be published online and in print.

Registration can be made online WWW.HEARTRHYTHMCONGRESS.ORG for healthcare professionals who wish to attend and I look forward to welcoming many old faces and new attendees to the event which is the largest seminar of it’s kind in the UK and a highlight of the Arrhythmia Alliance’s calender.