Call For Expressions of Interest: Trainee Speakers For Educational Forums (February 2024 – July 2024)

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Call For Expressions of Interest: Trainee Speakers For Educational Forums (February 2024 – July 2024)

18th September 2023

Dear all,

The BCIS educational forum has now been successfully running for over two years and has been a great success with high numbers attending the live stream and watching on-demand after the session. The sessions address the JRCPTB higher specialist interventional cardiology curriculum.

We are now looking for expression of interest for more trainee speakers (February 2024 – July 2024) to continue delivering high-quality sessions for all BCIS members to enjoy. The sessions last for 1 hour in total and start at 19:00 on the second Tuesday of the month.

Please submit your expression of interest by means of email BCIS@millbrookconferences.co.uk including your training grade and hospital by Monday 30th October.

Kind regards,

Sam McGrath, BCIS Trainee Representative

BCIS Council Member: Winner of Election

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BCIS Council Member: Winner of Election

8th August 2023

Dear BCIS Member,

Following the recent election, BCIS Council is pleased to welcome Dr Vinoda Sharma as the new Member without portfolio.

There was an outstanding field of applicants for this post, and on behalf of Council, we would like to congratulate Vinoda and thank all the candidates for their interest and to everyone who voted.

Best Wishes,

Gerald Clesham, BCIS Hon Secretary
David Hildick-Smith, BCIS President

AHP Working Group NAME ANNOUNCEMENT

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AHP Working Group NAME ANNOUNCEMENT

7th August 2023

Dear BCIS AHP member,

Following a review of a potential change of name to the Allied Health Professional’s Working Group, I would like to thank everyone who took part in the online survey and the additional survey at the Summer meeting. I am pleased to announce the the name of the group will remain as the AHP Working Group.

Best Wishes,

Sarah Carson

AHP Working Group Lead

My First AHP Summer Meeting Experience

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My First AHP Summer Meeting Experience

1st August 2023

BCIS AHP Annual Conference — Bournemouth, 26-27 June 2023

Words by Hayley Hill, Nurse Angiographer at University Hospitals Northamptonshire NHS Group

I was surprised and excited when I was invited to join the BCIS Allied Healthcare Professionals Working Group, yet instantly imposter syndrome slowly crept in as dates started appearing in my diary. I need not have worried. On meeting the rest of the team, I realised that though I was surrounded by a group of experts with vast experience, I was essentially surrounded by a group of like-minded individuals whom I felt like I had worked with for years!

The Royal Bournemouth Hotel played its debut in being the venue for the AHP summer meeting, and despite the hot weather, and clearly never having experienced a vast quantity of NHS workers at a buffet, nothing seemed too much effort for them to address. The AHP Working Group had put a lot of thought into the flow of the day, and the use of the different spaces available to accommodate both the lecture and practical elements available. Regardless of whether the teaching was hands-on or more theoretical, the energy to encourage interactive sessions was infectiously positive, and the days whipped by without acknowledging the volume of information inhaled.

After doing a joint talk in the Fundamentals stream on day one, I managed to relax into the role a bit more and attempted to play to my strengths and tried to aid the Millbrook team. Whilst they seemed to make it look effortless in transitioning different groups to different spaces, my attempts came across like a flappy chicken herding cats, so I was in total awe of their unflappable stature.

To sum it all up; alongside this being a resource rich conference with multiple modalities, and both clinical and industry experts at the attendee’s disposal, I personally enjoyed the ethos and culture of sharing experiences and knowledge, and having time to meet AHPs from across the nation. In so many ways this gave me confidence in knowing my own centre was in line with others, in terms of safety and evidence, and re-fuelled my passion for everything cath lab, with ideas to adopt to improve both my team and patient experience.

BCIS Training & Education Working Group: New Members

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BCIS Training & Education Working Group: New Members

26th July 2023

BCIS Training and Education Working Group Appointments

Following calls for expressions of interest, BCIS is pleased to announce the appointment of three Members Without Portfolio to its Training and Education Working Group (TEG).

Having reviewed all the applications, the panel of judges whittled it down to the following candidates:

  • Kalaivani Mahadevan
  • Richard Bogle
  • Andrew Ladwiniec

Kalaivani, Richard and Andrew will begin a three-year tenure on Tuesday, 1 August 2023.

BCIS would like to congratulate the successful candidates and thank all those who applied for their continued interest in BCIS. The Working Groups form the backbone of the society, and BCIS was delighted to have so many high calibre applicants.

BCIS would also like to formally thank the outgoing members David O’ Brien, Brian Clapp and Alex Chase for the excellent work during their three year tenures.

 

With kind regards,

Dougie Muir

Training and Education Group Lead

Gerald Clesham

BCIS Honorary Secretary

Ongoing national supply issue with Getinge intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP)

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Ongoing national supply issue with Getinge intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP)

6th June 2023

Dear colleagues,

As some of you may have already been informed, there is an ongoing national supply issue with intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP), which has potential implications for the delivery of cardiac surgery and cardiology services throughout the country.

There are currently two main suppliers of IABPs to the national market.  From the information that we have received, Getinge Maquet / Datascope, one of the IABP catheter manufacturers for the UK market, has had supply issues since the start of the year.  However, there has been a recent alert from Getinge that has resulted in the company stopping any shipments of stock.  Teleflex, the other manufacturer, has been trying to keep up with the increased demand but now has supply issues themselves.  Enquiries are ongoing to see whether an IABP (Myosist) from a third supplier (Meril) is suitable for the UK market.

NHS England is working with SCTS, BCIS and SCPS to help support units with a contingency plan.  Further information will be released in due course but in the interim, some considerations may include:

  1. Mutual aid between regional units to share current IABP stocks, with the potential for limited incoming stocks to be coordinated through NHS Supply Chain.
  2. Reduced use of prophylactic or temporising IABPs and earlier definitive revascularisation strategies in ACS patients, where possible.
  3. Careful pre-operative planning, case selection and use of dual-consultant operating / Surgical Council MDT discussion for high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgical intervention.
  4. Development of local and regional collaborative networks and MDT infrastructure to provide guidance regarding the use of Impella and ECMO for post-cardiotomy support where available.

We will continue to communicate with you as more information becomes available but as you will appreciate, the situation is changing daily and we are working to find a resolution as quickly as possible.

Please contact your respective professional society if you have any clinical questions.

If mutual aid options are exhausted, notification of a critical shortage can be reported to the National Supply Disruption Response team via the dedicated helpline 0800 915 9964 (freephone number in the UK) or 0207 972 1071. The line is open Monday to Friday 9am-6pm except public holidays.

Narain Moorjani                      David Hildick-Smith                             Noel Kelleher
President, SCTS                          President, BCIS                                 Chairman, SPCS

BCIS PCI International fellowships Appointments

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BCIS PCI International fellowships Appointments

5th June 2023

On behalf of Council and the Training & Education Group I am delighted to announce the appointments to the BCIS PCI International fellowships as follows:

 

Andrew Chapman – Auckland in partnership with Abbott Vascular

Arka Das – Adelaide in partnership with SMT

Sharmaine Thirunavukarasu – Vancouver Island  in partnership with Boston Scientific

 

The appointments process was highly competitive and I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who participated. I am sure the successful candidates will prove excellent ambassadors for UK intervention. BCIS would like to thank our industry partners and of course Millbrook for making this possible.

 

Professor Alex Chase

Training and Education Working Group, Responsible for Fellowships

SCAI fellows course Winner Announcement

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SCAI fellows course Winner Announcement

2nd June 2023

We are delighted to announce that the sponsored place at this year’s SCAI conference has been awarded to Chris Allen, ST7  from Kings College Hospital, London . Competition for the place was fierce and we would like to thank all applicants for taking part in the competitive process. Our thanks to SCAI for providing the place to BCIS. We look forward to hearing how great the conference was from Chris in due course!

Best Wishes,

Dougie Muir
Training and Education Group Lead

BCIS STRUCTURAL Fellowship Winner Announcement

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BCIS STRUCTURAL Fellowship Winner Announcement

15th May 2023

On behalf of the BCIS Training and Education Group I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Suleman Aktaa to the new BCIS fellowship to St Paul’s Hospital Vancouver.

This is an exciting 2 year fellowship with training in both coronary and structural intervention under the tutorship of Drs John Webb and Janar Sathananthan and includes research opportunities in one of the world’s leading structural intervention institutions. BCIS is very grateful for support for this fellowship from our industry partner Biosensors The appointment process was highly competitive and we would like to thank all the applicants for their contribution. Good luck Suleman, we look forward to your first fellowship report!

Best wishes,
Professor Alex Chase BCIS TEG Fellowship Programme

Opportunity to attend SCAI Fellows Course

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Opportunity to attend SCAI Fellows Course

20th April 2023

Exciting opportunity for senior PCI trainees and fellows:

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has invited BCIS to send one (1) interventional cardiology fellow to participate in the 2023 SCAI Fellows Course.

The SCAI Fellows Courses is the specialty’s premier Fellows-only course and is designed to provide an engaging environment in which attendees can interact with internationally recognized faculty. The curriculum offers participants a comprehensive education in core curricula, fundamental techniques and tools, and representative cases that will be essential to their future as a practicing interventionalist.

This year’s courses will be held December 1-5 at the Hyatt Regency, Miami FL.  SCAI will offer free registration and will reimburse housing for four nights (December 1-5). In addition, BCIS is offering to provide economy-class flights to and from Miami.

Please visit the SCAI website and the Fellows Page for additional details about this opportunity.

Application:

Please note, this opportunity is available to senior trainees (ST7) or PCI fellows only who are members of BCIS.

Interventional Cardiology Fellow Qualification: Nominated Fellow is currently in an accredited interventional cardiology fellowship program in the UK and has not previously attended the SCAI Fellows Course.

To apply, please submit the form within the link at the bottom of this page which should include:

  • Your details as requested
  • An updated copy of your CV
  • A short (no more than one side A4) supporting statement regarding your commitment to interventional training and how you will use this opportunity for personal development and shared learning

The deadline for applications is Monday 15th May at 5 pm. The applications will be reviewed by members of the Training and Education Group and the successful candidate will be informed by the 1st of June 2023.

Attendees must attend the full meeting in order to receive reimbursement for the hotel costs after the meeting concludes. The successful candidate will be required to write a full report of the course and share photographs of the course for submission on the BCIS website.

BCIS Secretariat, Millbrook Medical Conferences Ltd
Unit 8, Midland Court, Central Park, Lutterworth
Leicestershire LE17 4PN

More about the course

SCAI’s Fellows Courses teach future generations of interventional cardiologists the knowledge and skills they need for post-fellowship practice.

If you are a current interventional cardiology fellow or are in, or have been accepted to, an advanced training program, explore which of the following four courses is the right one for you:

  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Congenital Heart Disease
  • Advanced Peripheral Vascular
  • Advanced Structural Heart Disease

All four courses are taught by an internationally recognized faculty in an engaging, collegial environment and scholarships are available for all fellows whose applications to attend one of the courses is accepted.

As travel restrictions ease post-pandemic, we are delighted to once again open applications for the Interventional Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease Courses to international fellows.

SCAI Fellows Course