People in Edinburgh are being urged to prioritise their heart health by getting a free blood pressure test when shopping.
Tesco have partnered with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to encourage people in Edinburgh to take a moment for their wellbeing this Heart Month by visiting a Tesco pharmacy for a quick and friendly blood pressure check.
Latest information from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities estimates that 62,900 in Edinburgh are living with undiagnosed high blood pressure.*
High blood pressure is one of the leading risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. However, because high blood pressure often has no signs or symptoms, the only way to know is to get tested. When identified early, high blood pressure can be effectively managed, helping to protect long‑term health.
Tom Lye, Category Director for Health & Wellness at Tesco, said:“We want looking after your health to feel as simple as going into Tesco to do a shop. Our pharmacy teams are here to offer a quick, friendly blood pressure check – no fuss, no appointment needed. A few minutes in store can help to give peace of mind or get you support early if it’s needed.”
Tesco pharmacy teams offer the free walk-in and pre-booked 10‑minute blood pressure check, carried out in private consultation rooms. They will explain the results clearly and, if a raised reading is detected, guide customers towards the appropriate next steps or support. All Tesco pharmacists and pharmacy staff undergo specialist Let’s Talk training to help them speak to the public with sensitivity about heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
The latest campaign, which has launched during Heart Month, builds on the partnership between Tesco and the British Heart Foundation, encouraging the public to fit a blood pressure check into their everyday routine.
As well as the free in store checks, Tesco Magazine and the Tesco Real Food website are featuring heart healthy recipes including dishes with low salt and low saturated fat to help customers cook confidently at home.
The wider Tesco Health Charity Partnership with the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK was launched in 2018 and is built on the simple belief that Every Little Help can make a big difference. Until 1 March, customers can also choose to round up their shop to the nearest £1, to raise money for the Health Charity Partnership.
Professor Bryan Williams OBE, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “High blood pressure affects roughly one in three adults, yet many people remain unaware they have it because it usually presents no obvious signs. When it goes undetected, it can significantly raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes, which is why it’s so important for as many people as possible to get their blood pressure checked.
“Although high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems if ignored, the positive news is that it can be managed. Small lifestyle changes like being more active and reducing foods high in fat, salt and sugar can have a real impact – medication is also available when needed.
“Getting your blood pressure checked at a community location like your local Tesco is quick, straightforward and could be one of the most vital steps you take to protect your heart and overall health. Know your numbers this Heart Month.”
A free blood pressure test at your nearest Tesco pharmacy takes about 10 minutes, and Tesco colleagues will guide you through what the numbers mean.
~ Warning not to ignore subtle stroke signs just because they are uncommon ~
A stroke survivor is warning others to watch out for unusual symptoms after joining a study funded by the British Heart Foundation.
Gordon Robb had a stroke involving a bleed in his brain, but his only symptom was finding that written words suddenly looked as if they were in a foreign language.
The 63-year-old is now taking the drug clopidogrel, as part of a clinical trial run by researchers at the University of Edinburgh. This study will examine if clopidogrel or aspirin, which are ‘antiplatelet’ drugs that reduce the risk of blood clotting, can prevent future strokes, heart attacks and premature deaths in people who have had a haemorrhagic stroke – a stroke caused by a bleed in the brain.
Gordon only discovered his stroke had happened after his cousin, whose husband had died from a stroke a few weeks earlier, insisted he go to hospital.
Having first thought his sudden inability to read was caused by tiredness, he now describes himself as an ‘extremely lucky man’. He had none of the more commonly known symptoms of a stroke, such as problems with his face, arm, speech, eyes or balance.
Difficulty recognising written words on its own, without any other symptoms, affects fewer than one per cent of people at the time of their stroke, say researchers.
A few months on, Gordon’s symptoms are improving, although it now takes him half an hour to read a chapter instead of his previous 10 minutes, and more recently he has noticed he occasionally can’t find the right word during a conversation.
Gordon said: “I am incredibly lucky, and quite honestly felt like a fraud in the stroke ward because I was no different to how I am normally, except that I suddenly could not read words.
“A group of student doctors in neurology who were brought to see me even said they would have struggled to diagnose that I had had a stroke.
“I knew some of the classic signs of a stroke like facial weakness, being unable to raise my arms or speech issues, but had none of these.
“It just shows the importance of paying attention to unusual symptoms, even if they aren’t ones you have heard of before. If I hadn’t gone to the hospital, and quickly received treatment, I could have been walking around with a ticking time-bomb in my head.”
The stroke survivor, from Bonnyrigg in Midlothian, had only been to hospital once in his life previously. A keen cyclist and runner, who had climbed to base camp at Mount Everest two years ago, he felt in perfect health.
So when, on September 27 last year, he checked his emails and could not read them, he put it down to tiredness.
Gordon, the former vice-president of a biotech company, said: “I was in the garden, went in to have a cup of tea, listen to some music and check my emails on my phone – and it was like they were in a foreign language.
“I could see them clearly, and see who they were from, but the words meant nothing to me.
“I just assumed I was tired because I had been up late the night before. When friends were then messaging me about the Ryder Cup that evening and I couldn’t see the messages, I just gave myself an early night.”
The following evening, when he was unable to read the instructions on a cash machine to withdraw money, he resolved to go to see his GP the next day.
However, when he told his cousin – whose husband had died from a sudden stroke just three weeks earlier – she drove straight to his house and insisted on taking him to A&E. There, doctors told him he had had a haemorrhagic stroke.
Approximately 15 per cent of strokes are haemorrhagic. The majority of strokes are ischaemic strokes, caused by a blocked artery.
While in hospital, Gordon signed up to a study being led by Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman at the University of Edinburgh, which is called ASPIRING (Antiplatelet Secondary Prevention International Randomised study after INtracerebral haemorrhaGe).
The international study is recruiting people who have had a stroke due to bleeding in the brain, also known as a haemorrhagic stroke. Study participants in the UK will be given ‘antiplatelet’ medicines like clopidogrel or aspirin, which reduce the chances of a stroke or heart attack by preventing cells in the bloodstream, called platelets, from sticking together and forming a blood clot.
Antiplatelet medicines are not routinely prescribed for people who have had a haemorrhagic stroke, because of safety concerns that they may increase the risk of bleeding. But a small study called RESTART, led by the University of Edinburgh and also funded by the British Heart Foundation, found aspirin and clopidogrel are safe after a haemorrhagic stroke.
In this new larger study, researchers in the UK now aim to understand if clopidogrel or aspirin can reduce the likelihood of having future strokes, heart attacks and other clotting and bleeding problems in people who have survived a haemorrhagic stroke.
Major clotting or bleeding problems occur in around one in 10 haemorrhagic stroke survivors every year.
Professor Salman said: “It has been hard to overcome the instinctive fear that if people have had a haemorrhagic stroke, taking aspirin or a drug like it might cause more bleeding. So we were very relieved when our research showed such drugs to be safe after a haemorrhagic stroke.
“The ASPIRING study will gather further evidence to establish if aspirin and clopidogrel can help lower the risk of future strokes and heart attacks, and potentially save the lives of people like Gordon who have had a haemorrhagic stroke.
“I believe there is a huge amount more to be done to help these people, whose lives have been turned upside down and who may be concerned about the future.”
Gordon is one of more than 4,000 people worldwide set to join the study, which is also funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Research Foundation – Flanders and the Medical Research Future Fund in Australia.
The study was endorsed by the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF) multinational clinical trials initiative.
Gordon said: “Being involved in this trial provides some reassurance, that this drug may reduce my risk of another stroke.
“But it is also great to know that being involved could help improve treatment for people like me in the future, and relieve the pressure on the health system.
“I feel extremely lucky that I did not have more long-term effects from my stroke, and that I have had the chance to try to help improve treatments.”
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, the British Heart Foundation’s clinical director, said: “Facial weakness, arm or leg weakness and speech problems are well-known signs you or your loved one may be having a stroke, but there are some lesser-known symptoms like being unable to recognise the written word.
“If you have a symptom that you feel is not right, however strange or unusual, it is really important to seek help. Every minute matters if you may be having a stroke or other medical emergency.
“We know stroke survivors often fear having another stroke and how disabling this could be. That is why the BHF is funding clinical trials like ASPIRING, which will test whether prescribing antiplatelet drugs could protect more people.”
The ASPIRING study is recruiting people from England, Wales and Scotland who have had a haemorrhagic stroke.
Volunteers can check their eligibility, depending on the hospital where they received treatment, and express interest by visiting www.ASPIRING.ed.ac.uk
~ Next-generation bedside devices, providing a result within 15 minutes, ease pressure on overcrowded emergency departments ~
People can find out if they are having a heart attack far faster using innovative tests, according to research supported by the British Heart Foundation and presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in New Orleans.
When someone with chest pain attends hospital as an emergency patient , they are given a blood test for troponin – the telltale protein released into the blood when the heart is damaged, which indicates whether they have had a heart attack.
But doctors say that the test result from blood sent to the laboratory is often not available when they first need it to help make decisions for patients, and a result can sometimes take as long as two hours.
A new study, led from Christchurch Hospital in New Zealand in collaboration with BHF-funded researchers at the University of Edinburgh, investigated the performance of a new type of troponin test. Blood is placed directly onto a cartridge, and analysed on the spot, with some models of the test able to reveal if someone has had a heart attack within 15 to 20 minutes.
In the study, people given a rapid test were admitted to a ward or sent home 47 minutes faster, depending on whether it indicated they had experienced a heart attack, researchers found. This shorter stay in the emergency department, which was the average across six hospitals, was seen in comparison to troponin tests in the lab.
The new tests, produced by various technology firms, are already in use within some British hospitals and could help to tackle long waits and overcrowding within the NHS. Researchers say they could potentially also be used in GP surgeries and chest pain clinics, potentially helping to identify people whose heart attacks might otherwise have been missed.
Nicholas Mills, BHF Professor of Cardiology at the University of Edinburgh and a consultant interventional cardiologist at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, helped to design the study, conducted in New Zealand.
Professor Mills said: “When people go to the emergency department fearing they have had a heart attack, a blood sample is taken and sent to another part of the hospital for analysis in a lab.
By the time the results are available, it is likely the doctor or nurse will have been called away, so there are unfortunate and unintended delays in making decisions for patients.
“The average turnaround for a lab troponin test can be as long as two hours, so tests which can be performed in real-time within minutes are far better for patients, reducing anxiety as they wait for an answer on what is happening to them.
“Crucially, these tests could also ease some of the pressure on overcrowded emergency departments, helping people move through more quickly.”
Troponin is a protein found in the muscles, including the heart. When the heart is injured or damaged, such as during a heart attack, troponin is released into the blood.
Hospitals used to routinely test people twice for troponin, to measure changing levels of the protein and establish if they had a heart attack. But the process was sped up, moving people through emergency departments an average of three hours faster, thanks to previous research led by the University of Edinburgh.
This showed just one troponin test could effectively identify people who were at high risk of having had a heart attack, and also the people at lower risk who could safely be sent home.
This approach was used in the current study, but, to deliver answers to patients even more quickly, researchers investigated the new generation of devices which can analyse troponin levels in the blood on the spot.
The study included almost 60,000 people attending an emergency department in New Zealand between February 2023 and January 2025. A faster test was given to 31,392 patients, while the rest had the standard test with blood samples sent to the laboratory.
Those given a rapid test, compared to the lab-based test, had a 13 per cent shorter stay in the emergency department on average. That meant they were discharged or admitted to a hospital ward an average of 47 minutes faster.
The calculation was made after taking into account other factors affecting how long people wait, such as the time of year and time of day.
Researchers tracked all the people in their study for 30 days after they visited the emergency department, finding that the rate of people dying from cardiovascular disease or having a heart attack in that time was similar whether they were given a fast test or the regular test.
This suggests a faster test is a safe way to decide if people should be admitted to a ward or discharged, which should not put people at extra risk by missing their heart attacks.
The test involves a drop of blood, from a standard blood test, being placed on a cartridge which is inserted into the device. The level of troponin then appears on the screen, helping a doctor to provide a diagnosis.
People who have not had a heart attack can be quickly reassured, thanks to a faster test. Those who have had a heart attack can receive earlier treatment with blood-thinners and be admitted directly to a specialist ward for treatment, which may include a procedure to restore the blood supply to the heart. Early treatment reduces the risk of lasting heart damage.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation and consultant cardiologist, said: “Every minute matters if you are having a heart attack. And if you aren’t, you will want to be reassured or diagnosed with something different as soon as possible.
“Troponin is the telltale protein which leaks into the bloodstream when the heart is damaged, so measuring it can be crucial for doctors to diagnose or rule out heart attacks.
“But laboratory results can take hours to come back. So, it’s exciting to see that the bedside troponin test used in this study had a faster turnaround – providing results within minutes, and without compromising accuracy and safety.
“Reducing delays in diagnosis is vital for patients, and also important for pressurised emergency departments working to ensure everyone gets the care they need, when they need it.”
~ A coronary angiogram does not detect microvascular angina, which is particularly common in women, so researchers say more tests are needed ~
Half of people investigated for suspected angina and given the all-clear may be missing out on the correct diagnosis, based on a study funded by the British Heart Foundation, published in the journal Nature Medicine, and presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in New Orleans.
The study involved 250 British people referred for a coronary angiogram after experiencing chest pain. Based on their scan results, these people did not have angina – the medical term for pain or tightness within the chest caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.
However, when researchers gave these people an extra MRI scan, they found 51 per cent of people given the all-clear for angina actually had a form of it called microvascular angina. This is triggered by tiny blood vessels which can’t be seen using a standard coronary angiogram – where a thin tube is inserted into the wrist and up to the coronary arteries and an X-ray taken. The angiogram can only detect angina caused by blockages in the large coronary arteries.
Researchers say blood flow scans should be used to follow up angiograms for every patient with unexplained chest pain, but that many regions of the UK do not currently offer this.
Professor Colin Berry, senior author of the study from the University of Glasgow, said: “Further tests like the scan we used could help to reveal thousands more people with microvascular angina in the UK every year. Microvascular angina is currently particularly under-diagnosed in women.
“We need these extra test results because people whose angiogram results suggest their chest pain is not heart-related can be sent home without medication, on the assumption that their symptoms are due to things like indigestion, anxiety or arthritis.
“It is not uncommon for these people to then have to return to their GP multiple times, with continuing symptoms like chest pain and breathlessness.”
Angina is a symptom of chest pain which can be caused by blockages or narrowing in the large coronary arteries which supply most blood to the heart. Microvascular angina used to be known as ‘cardiac syndrome X’ because it greatly confused doctors seeing patients with angina-like chest pains who didn’t have the expected narrowings or blockages in their coronary arteries.
Now the name, coined in the 1970s, is no longer used because experts understand that the pain is caused by tiny arteries within the heart muscle – less than half a millimetre across – which play a crucial role in regulating blood supply to the heart. Women are more likely to have the condition than men, particularly around and after the time of menopause.
Among the 250 people studied, all but six were judged to have chest pain that wasn’t heart-related based on their angiogram results. But the MRI scan found 123 of these people had microvascular angina – a diagnosis which is very clearly heart-related.
The scan detects microvascular angina, which reduces blood flow to the heart, by showing inadequate blood supply after people are given a drug called adenosine, which mimics the demands of physical activity on the body.
In the study, half of the 250 people were offered altered treatment based on their MRI scan result, if needed. Such treatment could include calcium channel blockers, which relieve angina and lower blood pressure, and aspirin and statins, which reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes.
This group were examined to see how receiving a new diagnosis, following further tests after a coronary angiogram, might change people’s lives.
A better quality of life
Researchers found quality of life was better for people whose treatment was changed based on their scan, compared to those whose treatment was not changed following their scan. This group also saw a bigger reduction in the frequency of their chest pain – from weekly to monthly on average. They had a larger reduction in their difficulty doing everyday activities, based on a questionnaire.
A second questionnaire looked at people’s mobility, pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression and difficulties washing, dressing and performing normal daily activities. This also showed a greater improvement for people whose treatment changed based on their MRI scan.
There is some evidence that having microvascular angina may increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke, although this wasn’t seen in the 12-month period people were followed up in the study.
People whose treatment was changed based on their MRI scan were found to have lower blood pressure, which may have been brought down by medications they were prescribed. They also had a lower weight, which researchers believe may have been a result of reduced chest pain making it easier to be active.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation and consultant cardiologist, said:“Coronary microvascular dysfunction, which is seen more commonly in women, is real. It can have a serious impact on people’s everyday lives, as they struggle with chest pain and breathlessness, and is often misunderstood.
“Unfortunately, many people go undiagnosed, are misdiagnosed, or are only diagnosed after years of delay, because the diagnosis of inadequate blood supply in tiny coronary blood vessels slips through the net.
“This important study shows that it doesn’t have to be this way – having heart MRI tests improved chest pain diagnosis, which in turn led to changes in treatment and better health.”
There were 127 people diagnosed with microvascular angina, including 123 whose angiogram had wrongly suggested their pain was not heart-related. The angiogram diagnosis that their chest pain was not heart-related appeared correct for 155 people.
The MRI scans used in the study revealed two people judged not to have heart-related chest pain by an angiogram, who in fact had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – a genetic condition which can cause a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm. Another two people had myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle which most people recover from following treatment.
There are around 250,000 coronary angiograms performed across the UK every year. The MRI scans in this study were done at the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital in Clydebank, within the west of Scotland.
These scans judged blood flow in the blood vessels of the heart, and included an algorithm assessing the difference in flow between the inner and outer area of the heart, which is not routinely available on the NHS. However researchers say conventional MRI scans would have a largely similar performance.
On how the study results should change NHS practice, Professor Berry added: “An angiogram alone is not enough for most people with suspected angina, but in most regions of the UK this is all that is performed.
“People should be offered an additional test to look at blood flow. That does not need to be an MRI scan like ours, as there are several alternative tests which might be helpful. These tests are needed because debilitating chest pain significantly reduces people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and their ability to go about their everyday lives.”
The study was also supported by the Chief Scientist Office in Scotland.
February is Heart Month – a time to reflect on and act upon how heart and circulatory diseases affect around twice as many people in the UK as Alzheimer’s and cancer combined.
Here at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), we urgently need your help to fund the cures of tomorrow, so we are asking readers to Go Red in Heart Month.
Whether it’s a big ball, an office dress-up day, a coffee morning or a red-themed quiz, red is a great theme to have some fun with.
By fundraising for the BHF this Heart Month, you can help get us closer than ever to a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases and help to keep hearts beating. Too many of us have felt the pain of heart and circulatory diseases – losing a loved one to a cardiac arrest, supporting a child with congenital heart disease or coping with the devastating impact of heart failure.
We are also encouraging your readers to learn the lifesaving skill of CPR in just 15 minutes, through our digital tool RevivR.
Using just a cushion and a phone, you could learn the skills to help save a loved one’s life in the event of a cardiac arrest.
The arts spectacular is calling on fans to choose a charity to receive a special 75p donation from every ticket sold for the 2025 performance
In celebration of the upcoming 75th anniversary, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo launches its new initiative to donate 75p of every 2025 Show ticket sold to a new charity.
Tattoo fans are being asked to vote from selected charities to receive this one-off donation which could equate to £162,000 in line with expected ticket sales.
The theme for next year’s Tattoo, The Heroes Who Made Us, will spotlight the individuals who have shaped and supported the iconic performances over the past 75 years. This theme aligns with the Tattoo’s ethos of ‘Performance with a Purpose’ and its commitment to honour people across the country and support the heroes who are making a difference in their communities.
In line with this ethos and in addition to the brand’s annual charitable donations, five charities have been shortlisted to win the share of the 75p per ticket charity donation for one year only.
The shortlisted five charities have been nominated by Tattoo staff who put a case forward for them to be on the list, these are all non-military charities that are close to the hearts of those who put on the iconic spectacle.
They are: the British Heart Foundation, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, Parkinsons UK, Rock Trust and St Columba’s Hospice Care.
The Tattoo’s annual charitable giving continues alongside this new initiative, as it aims to build up to pre-Covid donations of £1M a year which is thanks to those who attend the Show each year. Charities that are continuing to benefit include The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, the Army Benevolent Fund, the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, and the Scottish Schools Pipe and Drums Trust.
Fans of the Tattoo across the UK are invited to cast their vote to determine which charity will receive the 75th anniversary donation.
Voting closes at midnight on Sunday 5 January 2025. Stay updated by following Tattoo social media channels, where the winning charity will be announced in January 2025.
Jason Barrett, Chief Executive Officer at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “In celebrating 75 years of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, we honour the heroes who have made the Tattoo so great throughout the years. Additionally, we honour the local heroes within our communities in Edinburgh, throughout Scotland, and around the world.
“Charitable giving is at the heart of everything the Tattoo does. Being able to contribute to our longstanding charitable partners as well as selecting a specific charity chosen by the Tattoo fans is a special benefit this year.
“We are committed to continuing our legacy of making a meaningful impact to those who continue to make a difference in our communities every day.
“I encourage everyone to join us in this celebration by casting their vote to support a worthy cause.”
Tickets for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s 75th anniversary Show are now on sale and can be purchased at edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or on the phone, 0131 225 1188. The Show will run from 1-23 August 2025.
Summer is the perfect time to try something new, so why not lend a hand in your local charity shop? The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is offering ‘taster’ sessions for anyone who wants to see what volunteering is all about.
So, whether you’re passionate about preloved, looking to meet new people, or keen to support the charity, we offer flexible volunteering roles for as little as an hour or two, without any long-term commitment.
Our volunteers are changing the way they gift their time to us. Fitting around life commitments like studying, family or work, we’re seeing an increasing number of people opting for ad hoc shifts. And that works for us!
With plenty of roles in store, through our Action Team, or remotely – yes you can volunteer from the comfort of your own sofa – give it a try for an hour or two. We will welcome you with open arms, and of course drinks and snacks too! Please do pop in for a cuppa or get in touch to find out more.
Every hour makes a difference, and no matter how much time you spend with us, you will be helping to fund lifesaving research.
Find a role to suit you by popping into your local shop or visiting
~ Funding will support world-leading cardiovascular research at the university ~
The British Heart Foundation has awarded the University of Edinburgh £5 million funding to support its world-class cardiovascular disease research over the next five years, the charity has announced today.
Researchers at the University welcomed the announcement.
Professor David Newby, BHF Duke of Edinburgh Professor of Cardiology at the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are delighted to be the recipient of this prestigious award which will enable us to deliver a step-change in our research into heart and circulatory diseases, stroke, vascular dementia and diabetes.
“The award will accelerate our drive to identify new discoveries across disciplines and to establish the next generation of science and scientific researchers with the ultimate aim of improving the lives of our patients.”
The funding will support the University of Edinburgh to cultivate a world-class research environment that encourages collaboration, inclusion and innovation, and where visionary scientists can drive lifesaving breakthroughs.
The Edinburgh award is part of a much needed £35 million boost to UK cardiovascular disease research from the British Heart Foundation.
The funding comes from the charity’s highly competitive Research Excellence Awards funding scheme.
The £5 million award to the University of Edinburgh will support researchers to:
Investigate how hardening of the major arteries develops throughout the body to cause heart attacks, strokes and circulatory problems, and how this interacts with the body’s immune and nervous systems.
Discover how small blood vessel disease in the brain causes strokes and vascular dementia so that we can develop and test new ways to prevent and to treat these major health problems.
Accelerate our understanding of how the body’s metabolism in fat, immune and kidney tissue causes heart and circulatory problems throughout life: from the womb through to old age.
Deliver new ways of using routinely collected health data with DataLoch to identify those at risk of heart attacks or strokes, and to embed this into health records systems to prevent diseases before they occur.
Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We’re delighted to continue to support research at the University of Edinburgh addressing the biggest challenges in cardiovascular disease. This funding recognises the incredible research happening at Edinburgh and will help to further its reputation as a global leader in the field.
“With generous donations from our supporters, this funding will attract the brightest talent, power cutting-edge science, and unlock lifesaving discoveries that can turn the tide on the devastation caused by heart and circulatory diseases.”
David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “It is great news that the University of Edinburgh has once again been recognised as a centre of research excellence. Scotland has a strong tradition of leading the way in cardiovascular research and today’s announcement will further reinforce this for years to come.”
Research Excellence Awards offer researchers greater flexibility than traditional research funding, allowing scientists to quickly launch ambitious projects that can act as a springboard for larger, transformative funding applications.
The funding also aims to break down the silos that have traditionally existed in research, encouraging collaboration between experts from diverse fields.
From clinicians to data scientists, biologists to engineers, the funding will support universities to attract the brightest minds, nurture new talent and foster collaboration to tackle the biggest questions in heart and circulatory disease research.
First launched in 2008, the University of Edinburgh has previously received nearly £14 million funding through the BHF’s Research Excellence Awards funding scheme to date.
This funding has supported research that will lay the foundations for future breakthroughs, including:
A trial that showed that a simple scan could save thousands of lives every year by improving the diagnosis of people coming to hospital with chest pain. The scan is now recommended as a first-line diagnostic tool in NICE guidelines for people presenting at hospital with chest pain.
Development of an artificial intelligence tool that can improve diagnosis of acute heart failure. The tool uses AI to combine routinely collected patient information with results from a blood test for the protein NT-proBNP, which is made by the heart. The researchers are now investigating how it could be implemented into routine care.
Over the last 5 years, investing in the training and development of 12 doctors to become researchers who are increasing knowledge today and developing new life-saving treatments for tomorrow.
Dad saved by his children urges others to learn vital skill with BHF this Heart Month
Scots are leading the way in CPR with 71 per cent having learned the skills to save a life, compared to over half (57 per cent) of respondents across the UK.
New figures released today by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland, show even more – 82 per cent – in the 16-26 age group (Gen Z) know how to perform CPR. Half (50 per cent) of this age group have learned the vital skill in school.
Almost all respondents who have learnt CPR in locations other than school (98 per cent)1 believe it is important that CPR be taught in schools.
The figures have been revealed as the medical research charity calls on the whole nation to learn CPR during Heart Month in February, with the message to help protect the heart of someone you love.
With around 80 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happening in the home, you’re often likely to perform CPR on a loved one.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1752005729924329572
Despite the success in Scotland, a survey carried out for the BHF by Censuswide, also suggests an alarming number of households in Scotland still don’t have anyone who knows how to perform CPR.
Of those respondents who answered that they hadn’t learnt CPR, just over half (51 per cent) said that no-one in their household had learnt the lifesaving skill.
The survey also found generational differences in CPR awareness in Scotland:
· Gen Z (age 16-26) is best trained in CPR, with 82 per cent having learnt, compared to 75 per cent of Millennials (age 27-42), 67 per cent of the Gen X generation (age 43-58) and 65 per cent of the baby boomer (age 59-77) generation.
· 95 per cent of Scots believe that learning CPR is important1, yet only 49 per cent of respondents could pick the correct first step of CPR – making sure it’s safe to approach and checking for a response from an unconscious person.
There are over 3100 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in Scotland. Tragically, just one in ten people survive, a statistic the BHF Scotland is determined to improve by giving everyone the opportunity to learn CPR.
Performing immediate PR and defibrillation in the event of a cardiac arrest can be the difference between life and death.
The charity’s free and innovative online training tool RevivR can teach CPR and the correct steps of defibrillator use in just 15 minutes. Quick CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.
Learning CPR came second only to budgeting, in a list of important life skills1:
Q: How important, if at all, do you think it is to learn the below life skills?
Learning to budget
98%
Learning CPR
95%
Learning to disinfect a cut
94%
Learning to do laundry
92%
Learning to use a washing machine
91%
Learning to change a light bulb
88%
Learning to change a tyre
85%
Learning DIY
81%
Michael’s story
The Welsh family celebrate Christmas 2023
In the early hours of 2 January last year, Alison Welsh, from Broughty Ferry, Dundee was woken by the sound of husband Michael, 55, making a terrible noise.
“I thought he was snoring but when I turned round, he was purple and staring at me. I screamed for the children, who ran through, we got him off bed and started CPR immediately,” she recalls.
Her son Christopher, now 30, took the lead, beginning CPR, assisted by sister Rachel, 23, and his girlfriend Chloe, 27, who was staying at the house. All three had been members of their university canoe clubs, where they’d learned to do CPR.
“While I was on the phone to the ambulance the three of them just took over,” adds Alison. “They were incredible, taking it in turns when they got tired. Without them, Michael would not be here today. There are genuinely no words to express what my children did to save their dad, and how amazing they are. Every day we wake up thankful that he is here.”
Michael has not had any problems since the episode but now has a defibrillator fitted to monitor his heart rhythm and to deliver a shock if a dangerous, abnormal heart rhythm is detected.
He says: “Learning CPR is a simple activity that can mean the difference between life and death. I was one of the lucky ones, thankfully people were around who knew what they were doing.”
1’Very important’ and ‘Quite important’ answers combined
