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Berwick Area Heart Support Group
June 2004 Newsletter
NEXT MEETING JUNE 2nd At the DAY HOSPITAL BERWICK INFIRMARY From
7.00pm – 9.00pm Guest Speaker Marie McWilliams Age Concern
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At our last meeting on 5th. May, which was also our AGM; our speaker was our Honorary President, Dr. P D Higham, Cardiologist at the Wansbeck Hospital. He brought us up to date on new medicines and treatments. One such medicine, which is so new, its hasn’t got an easy sounding name yet, just its trade name, and that is Exanta(ximilagatran)
I’ve written it like that; because that is how it is written in the magazine cutting I have in front of me. This presumably is its full name, and maybe the part outside the brackets is what it may be called; as its short name. I have had to get help with this one. Dr. Higham said it and could probably spell it, but unfortunately Wally could do neither. So with a little help from my friends, I’ve got this information from two different sources.
(My thanks to Irene and Michael for their contributions, with cuttings from a magazine, and off the internet).
Back to the subject in hand, this is a new anti-coagulant drug, taken orally as a fixed dose, in tablet form, and means that there will be soon an alternative to Warfarin for the treatment of patients at risk of suffering a stroke
Unlike Warfarin this new pill does not react badly with green vegetables, or other medications, and has less side effects, so patients will not require the same amount of close monitoring.
It has been developed over the last 18 years, and is the first of a new class of drug known as oral direct thombin inhibitors. It works by blocking thrombin, the chemical that triggers the formation of blood clots. And is the result of intensive research into how and why our blood clots. It has been shown to prevent blood clots in patients who have undergone hip and knee replacement operations
The major trials of the drug have been completed, now selective trials are underway, but it is due to get its licence within months. It is expected that it will be used first for the prevention of clots in these types of operations. Then, in early 2005, for stroke prevention.
In Trials involving 30,000 people in 25 Countries, the drug was shown to be as effective as Warfarin in reducing strokes from blood clots in people with Arterial Fibrillation (AF).
Static or very slow moving blood has a tendency to clot, starting with thread like strands, which self generate into a clot. With Arterial Fibrillation the muscles at the top of the heart get slack or flabby, and don’t push the blood on as they should. The blood slows down and in places stops. A clot starts to form and when this breaks away it moves off around the body.
As 25% of fresh blood from the heart goes to the brain there is a good chance it could go that way There’s not a lot of spare room up there for it, (It’s like the attic, full of useful things you don’t use but don’t want to throw out either), and it causes a blockage, or, as we know it, a stroke.If it goes down, it can cause the same sort of blockage. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) being one such blockage.
As with Warfarin, the new drug dissolves blood clots slowly. It does have some side effects, in some people. As I have already said these are less than with Warfarin. So all in all it has the potential of being a very promising drug.
Changing the subject, Dr. Higham gave a brief report on waiting times. Last year waiting time could be 6 to 9 months; this is now down to 4 to 5 weeks. Only that day one patient had had only 10 days to wait. Anything that reduces waiting times and the uncertainty, which in turn reduces tension and stress, must be a good thing.
Another thing that is helping reduce tension and stress is “Pre-Hab”. This helps people prepare for operations, both physically and mentally. Consequently, no one, neither Doctor nor Patient, gets undue surprises, and everyone involved is prepared and ready.
Dr. Higham stayed and answered many individual questions, on a one to one basis.
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Wally’s Yarns
On the way home that evening I passed a Police Car that had stopped a motorist in Tweedmouth. Like many other things in life, it reminded me of a story. This is totally unconnected with the Police Car in Tweedmouth.A man was driving down Sunnyside. He noticed a Police Car behind him and at the 30 mph sign, slowed down. He travelled into Berwick and maintained his speed. As he was travelling across The New Bridge his speed crept up to 35 mph.
The police Car stayed behind him and whist he was travelling up Castlegate his speed went up to just over 40 mph, and he was making no attempt to slow down. The inevitable happed, the blue lights came on, and the siren sounded briefly. The man did not stop, and several times the Police Office sounded the siren, and indicated for him to stop, but instead of stopping the man travelled even faster.
The speed got up to over 50 mph. and after several more attempts to stop the driver, eventually, by Safeways, the driver did stop.
When the Police Officer got to the drivers door he noticed the driver was looking very anxious and upset
The Police Officer said,” Are you local?”
The Driver said,” No, I’m filling in time, I might go to Edinburgh”.
The Police Officer said, “I’ve followed you through Town, initially you were travelling at 30 mph, but gradually it crept up to over 40, and when I tried to stop you it went to over 50, and it took several attempts to get you to stop”
The man said, “I have a lot on my mind, I was not concentrating, I was thinking about my wife”
The Police Officer started to point out the dangers of not concentrating whilst driving, and the driver butted in saying, “I know what you are saying, but the truth of the matter is, my wife has just left me, two weeks ago, up and left me
she did, and what makes it worse, she ran off with a Policeman, left me for one of your lot”
The Police Officer said, “I sympathise with your problem, but it is no excuse for breaking the law.
Up until I tried to stop you, you had just been over 40mph. Why did you firstly, not stop, and secondly, to make matters even worse you speeded up to over 50, and refused to stop for a Police Officer. The offences got more serious the further you went along”.
The Driver said, “When I first saw you every thing was alright. The longer you were behind me, it got me thinking. You made me think about my wife, and the way her leaving had affected me. I started to get upset, and I sort of panicked, I thought you might be bringing her back”
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Wally Selby
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