DVLA UPDATE GUIDANCE: Aortic Stenosis & Valve Surgery
18th December 2025
BCIS has petitioned the DVLA strongly over the last two years (under Dan Blackman’s watchful eye) regarding recent changes in fitness to drive guidance. We are very pleased to say that the DVLA guidance has now been changed for the better Assessing fitness to drive – a guide for medical professionals (pages 81-82).
Firstly, for patients with aortic stenosis but without symptoms of syncope, presyncope or symptoms that you feel would impact on safe driving, the patient may drive and does not need to notify the DVLA. This will make a big difference to a lot of patients, but is not yet widely known or understood.
Secondly, for patients who have had a TAVI, the statutory period off driving is now only 2 weeks. This is also an excellent change.
BCIS are pleased to announce that the BCIS Position Statement on Mitral edge-to-edge repair is now available via the ICR3 website and to download as a PDF using the link below. This document is supportive of expansion of services in the UK and embraces a breadth of approach.
BCIS are pleased to announce that the new PCI guidelines have now been published in ICR3 and can be accessed using the following link: PCI in the UK: Recommendations of the BCIS | ICR Journal. A great deal of work, involving many cardiologists, has gone into producing this document. We hope these updated guidelines will be a useful reference for hospitals across the country. PCI in the UK has been one of the success stories of the NHS and we hope these updated guidelines provide an updated framework for safe and effective coronary intervention.
BCIS POSITION STATEMENT: ORGANISING CONSULTANT TIME FOR OUT OF HOURS WORK IN INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY
24th January 2025
The introduction of Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) has seen a significant growth in the out of hours workload for interventional cardiologists. Very few medical specialties require the immediate return of senior medical staff to hospital on a 24/7 basis, where they are required to perform complex procedures in often very sick patients. This pattern of work is very disruptive to family life and involves regular sleep disturbance. Interventional cardiology risks becoming an unpopular specialty.
There is a perception that the time has come for a review of the working arrangements for consultant interventional cardiologists in the UK. The purpose of this document is to review the traditional arrangements and outline other options that are available under the current NHS consultant contract.
Prof Divaka Perera & his colleagues have produced a very neat summary of the most recent literature about COVID and the heart. It covers myocardial injury, ACEI/ARB, STEMI outcomes amongst other things.
Click the download button at the bottom of the page to view.
