Report from the CRY
Centre for Cardiac Pathology
(CRY CCP)
By Jemma Wells, Dr. Mary Sheppard’s Medical Secretary at the CRY CCP.
The summer months have shown a steady flow of referrals with peaks in June and July. This is an increase on previous years, but our turnaround time for both months was less than 7 days. During August the department remained busy and our average turnaround time saw an increase to 15 days, due to Dr Sheppard taking leave. During May to August Dr Sheppard has attended inquests in
Alfa is currently researching
London, Gloucester and Bournemouth where she met families
cases of SCD that mimic
dealing with sudden death.
ARVC
macroscopically
and histologically with the Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in
assistance of Sofia. Dr Anna
sudden cardiac death (SCD) is also one of our main research
Silvanto
interests following funding from a family that experienced SCD in
SCD with acute myocardial
two generations with this disease. We have the largest autopsy
infarction
collection of ARVC in the UK and are currently investigating
coronaries and her abstract
the demographics, pathology, medical history and correlating
has been accepted for poster
these results with family screening. We are also examining left
presentation at the next Winter PathSoc in January. Dr Kay
ventricular variants of ARVC.
Lawson spent a period of 6 months as a registrar at the Royal
is
investigating with
normal
Brompton Hospital between 2009 and 2010. During her time Medical BSc student Hudaifa
she worked on a small project and had it accepted as a poster
Alani, under Dr Sofia de
presented to the annual joint meeting of the BDIAP/Path Soc in
Noronha’s
June of this year.
completed
supervision, his
project
on
sudden dseath in association
Dr Sheppard was involved in producing 6 research papers and
with alcohol and his work
7 case reports during May to August which were published in a
was
poster
variety of peer-reviewed journals including Heart, the Journal of
the
Joint
the American College of Cardiology, Circulation: Cardiovascular
of
the
Genetics, Cardiovascular Pathology, European Heart Journal and
accepted
presentation British
for
at
Division
International
Academy
of
Journal of Clinical Medical Research.
Pathology (BDIAP)/ Pathological Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (PathSoc) meeting held in St Andrews at the
In June, Dr Sheppard taught on the short course, at the Royal
end of June this year. Sofia has also worked closely with medical
Brompton Hospital, ‘hands on’ imaging/pathology session for
student Roxani Georgiou who has now completed her project on
CMR (Cardiac Magnetic Resonance).
SCD during emotional stress and it is now being submitted. Dr Sheppard was invited to speak at 4 national meetings and 1 Dr Keiko Ogo, a Japanese
international meeting. These included ‘The role of the pathologist
Cardiologist who has been
in identifying heart conditions’ for the British Heart Foundation,
with
January
‘SCD – what should we expect from the pathologist?’ for the British
2009 returned to Japan in
Cardiovascular Society and ‘Too old to play?’ at EuroPrevent in
August. She gave two oral
Prague.
us
since
presentations of her work at the British International
Following the success of previous meetings Dr Sheppard is
Congress of Obstetrics and
organising a unique two day course: ‘Adult Cardiovascular
Gynaecology (BICOG) annual
Pathology’ during May 2011. The course is organised with the
meeting in June. Dr Ogo will
National Heart and Lung Institute of Imperial College London and
be submitting her paper for publication in the coming months.
is aimed at any Pathologists, Genetics Nurses, Coroners and Trainee doctors with an interest in cardiac pathology.
Dr Sheppard is active in training cardiac pathologists of the future and we have two registrars (junior doctors) in the department at a time to learn about cardiac pathology. Dr Kareem Abou-
www.c-r-y.org.uk
CRY update • Issue 52 • 9