New guidelines on the management of cardiomyopathy
A new set of guidelines for the clinical management of cardiomyopathy has been published today. The guidelines are intended to assist healthcare providers in clinical decision-making, and set out the recommended aspects of cardiomyopathy treatment. While their implementation is not mandatory, they provide a lever to help standardise and improve the treatment offered to people with cardiomyopathy.
The guidelines, published by the European Society of Cardiology, were prepared by a committee of cardiologists and healthcare professionals, with input from patient representatives from the Cardiomyopathy Council, the international network of cardiomyopathy charities.
The guidelines help meet a need evident through our State of Cardiomyopathy Care report, which highlighted the inconsistency and delays in diagnosis, care and treatment.
Guidelines task force co-chair Juan Pablo Kaski, said:
“These guidelines will help to establish greater consistency in the diagnosis, care and treatment of patients and families with cardiomyopathy. They reflect our most up to date understanding of this group of diseases and the treatment options that are available. We would like to see these implemented as widely as possible so that more people with cardiomyopathy can get the support and treatment they need"
Commenting for Cardiomyopathy UK, Chief Executive Joel Rose stated:
“Though our helplines and support groups we hear too often about instances where diagnosis and treatment has been poor and not in line with best practice. These guidelines will help to establish a shared understanding of how people with cardiomyopathy should be treated, leading to more standardised care. We will work with our healthcare professional network, volunteer advocates and the wider Cardiomyopathy UK team to help ensure these guidelines are understood and implemented so that people with cardiomyopathy get the best possible care.”
You can see a copy of the new guidelines here