Juan's work to tackle rare heart condition gets global recognition
A nurse from St Bartholomew’s Hospital has been recognised on the international stage for his research into a rare heart condition.
Juan Carlos Quijano-Campos won the Nursing and Allied Professions Investigator award at the recent European Society of Cardiology conference for his efforts to improve the quality of life for people with cardiac sarcoidosis.
Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory condition that can affect multiple organs in the body.
Cardiac sarcoidosis occurs when the heart muscle itself is affected. This can cause abnormal heart rhythms and problems with heartbeat signals getting through the whole heart.
Cardiac sarcoidosis can be fatal but most people do well with early treatment.
Treatments include drugs that prevent the immune system from overreacting and cardiac devices to keep the heart beating normally.
Juan's research focused on the impact of cardiac sarcoidosis on quality of life, including physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing.
He worked with service users and the Sarcoidosis UK charity to develop a questionnaire which measures the quality of life in people with cardiac sarcoidosis, ensuring that all their needs and concerns are evaluated.
The new tool, called CARD-SARC, can help to facilitate conversations between patients and their clinicians, track symptoms and the impact of treatment and monitor any psychological and emotional concerns.
Juan recently completed his training to become the first advanced clinical practitioner nurse for cardiac sarcoidosis in the UK.
He said: "I am truly honoured to receive this prestigious award and grateful to be recognised in this way. I am thankful to the patients who participated in this study, the continuous support from my clinical colleagues and academic collaborators, and a special mention to Prof Julie Sanders and Dr Neha Sekhri for their roles as my primary PhD supervisors."
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