'18 die daily' from Heart Rythm Disorder

Senior health professionals have united to call for greater awareness among general practitioners and the general public of the dangers of a condition known as Heart Rythm Disorder (HRD) which is blamed for the deaths of approximately 18 people per day in Ireland.

HRD, also known as Arrhythmia, is a condition in which the electrical activity of the heart is irregular or is faster or slower than normal and can, in certain instances, lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death.

A World Heart Rhythm Awareness Day seminar, held in Dublin this morning, heard how improved education for professionals and the public and better quality of care and the nationawide availability of defibrillators could help reduce the risks associated with the condition.

Speaking at the this morning's seminar, Mary Vasseghi, spokesperson for the Irish Arrhythmia Alliance, warned that most people with HRD remain unaware that they have the condition.

She said that more people should be trained "to take immediate action," something she said would "save lives."

"It is imperative all of the recommendations of the Sudden Cardiac Death taskforce be implemented if we are to make progress and reduce unnecessary deaths," she added.

Dr Brian Maurer, Clinical Director, Irish Heart Foundation, warned, that heart rhythm disorders can kill.

"If people at risk are detected in time they can be treated successfully. Prevention of deaths in young vulnerable people and in older people who have heart conditions is possible. This is why 'raising awareness days' such as this are so important".

Dr Ted Keelan, Chair, Irish Hearth Foundation Arrhythmia Council and Consultant Cardiologist in the Mater Private Hospital told the seminar how technological advances in the form of pacemakers and implantable defibrillators can now "protect people from slow and fast heart rhythms and permit them to return safely to a full and normal lifestyle.

However, he warned that "a more definitive and widely applicable treatment for the common irregular heart rhythm known as Atrial Fibrillation still eludes us."