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