Medical Technology for cardiac monitors, ECG,Echo,ICD supporters of CRY Parliamentary Launch

Siemens Acuson Cypress Echos

CRY donated it's first Acuson Echocardiogram machine to St George's Hospital Medical School in 1995. It is has screened over 13,000 people and been used extensively in our national community screening programme and for patient evaluation in St George's Hospital, Knightsbridge Wing.

An Echo scan of the heart (similar to the ultra sound offered to pregnant women) is used to back up ECG findings, or look for structural defects. CRY is particularly interested in looking for muscle thickness and size of the chambers of the heart. This gives us information regarding Cardiomyopathy, a relatively rare, but significant heart condition.

CRY is now funding a second Echocardiogram, the innovative Acuson Cypress, as supplied by Siemens Medical Solutions. This Echo machine has colour flow mapping, and shows images in 2D. It can record information onto video tape, CD, or can send information to other users for on-line interpretation. The Echo has hard disk capacity for patient orientated storage of Echo Reports. The unit comes with a video player, carry case, stand and one transducer (or probe). The transducer relays information from the clients' chest cavity back to the screen of the Echo, showing clear images of the heart at work.

Echo scans are painless and non-invasive. This equipment is portable and so will allow us to undertake screenings on a more regular basis, since we will be less dependant on our screening van as we will not need the hydraulic lift. Funding for the new machine has been made possible by the generosity of the Lewis Marsh Memorial Fund and Whickham School. It will be based at Northwick Park Hospital under the auspices of the BOMC, and used for the benefit of patients requiring cardiac investigation.

For further information go to www.echocardiography.com

BUPA

BUPA is a provident association. This means that any profit is reinvested in better schemes and services for the benefit of all BUPA's customers. It has fifty-five years experience in "the prevention and relief of sickness" and "the promotion of health". BUPA was established in 1947 and is a broad-based health and care organisation with a growing international presence. With long standing interests in Hong Kong, Spain and Malta, BUPA's rapid expansion in recent years means it is now also involved in businesses based in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Singapore and Australia.

t has more than seven million customers in 180 countries and approximately 40,000 employees. Its main interests are health insurance, hospitals, care services, health assessments, workplace health and childcare services. It also provides recruitment services for health care professionals and has a network of nurseries for the children of working parents.

BUPA makes significant contributions to charities (over Ł1.5 million in 2002). It also gives in excess of Ł1.5 million a year to the BUPA Foundation, an independent charity which supports medical and NHS research.

In 2004 BUPA has sponsored CRY's ePolitix website. In addition, BUPA has run an online poll to determine the public's opinion on cardiac testing and an online campaign to help the public lobby their local MPs in support of CRY's campaign.