Posters for 2026 Cardiovascular Health in Older People

Prevalence of Frailty in Heart Failure Patients in 1.1 million sized adult population of Mid & South Essex. Findings support recommending a “Frailty First” approach to managing Heart failure S Zaidi; R Thakkar Background: Heart failure (HF) and frailty have a bidirectional relationship. Although people with HF experience high rates of unplanned hospitalisation, most admissions in those with co-existing frailty are due to non-cardiac causes, including falls, acute kidney injury/electrolyte disturbance and bleeding events, rather than HF itself. These events are frequently related to adverse

Introduction Influenza infection poses a significant risk to patients with chronic heart failure (HF), mediating myocardial inflammation, haemodynamic instability, and acute decompensation. NICE guideline NG106 recommends annual influenza vaccination for all adults with HF. Despite this, vaccination uptake in this population remains inconsistently monitored at the primary care network level. This audit assessed compliance with this recommendation across the Watling Street Primary Care Network (PCN) in 2024. Method A retrospective audit of all patients with a coded diagnosis of chronic HF

Introduction Frailty is a key predictor of adverse outcomes in hospitalised older adults. Assessing change in Clinical Frailty Score (CFS) from admission to discharge may reflect inpatient functional decline and quality of care. Method A retrospective audit of 40 medical inpatients was conducted at a district general hospital. Frailty was assessed using the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale at admission and discharge, with input from the multidisciplinary team including occupational therapists and nursing staff. Admission source (e.g., home, care home) and discharge destination (e.g., home

Orthostatic Hypotension (OH), defined as a systolic blood pressure (SBP) drop >=20mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) drop >=10mmHg within three minutes of standing, is associated with falls, cardiovascular risk and cognitive impairment. NICE recommend performing lying and standing blood pressure measurements during falls assessments NG249, 2025. Despite this, OH may being underdiagnosed, a primary care survey showed a symptom driven approach to OH diagnosis that may exclude those with advanced frailty and cognitive impairment McDonagh, 2025. Method Our cohort was 9,052,916 patients aged 60

Introduction Guideline-recommended medical therapy (GRMT) for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) comprises four pillars, and their proactive implementation improves prognosis. The QUAD score promotes GRMT in HFrEF, but its applicability in older, frailer populations remains uncertain. Methods This retrospective observational study included patients ≥80 years with LVEF ≤40% who completed therapy titration between October 2023 – March 2025. Patients were identified from a Cardiology in Older People Service (COPS) and general cardiology clinics. Frailty markers (Clinical Frailty

Background: UK guidance increasingly promotes disease-focused prevention strategies. The 2026 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) advocates early initiation of metformin and sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, while recent NICE cardiovascular prevention guidance supports intensive blood pressure and lipid lowering. In contrast, British Geriatrics Society (BGS) pragmatic prescribing guidance recommends individualised targets and treatment deintensification in people living with moderate-to-severe frailty. Whether

Intro Older adults with reduced physiological reserve are more vulnerable to medication related adverse effects. Hypertensive management may contribute to Orthostatic Hypotension (OH), falls and functional decline. This clinical audit aimed to assess adherence to NICE guidance recommendation regarding Lying/Standing Blood Pressure (LSBP) measurement in adults with hypertension either aged ≥80 or with symptoms of OH and evaluate whether antihypertensive therapy was appropriately reviewed following recommendations of the British Geriatric Society Pragmatic Prescribing guidelines. Methods A two

Introduction Clinically significant valve disease affects 11% of people in the UK aged 65 years and older1. Frailty predicts outcomes following aortic valve replacement (AVR)2, and its assessment prior to aortic valve intervention is recommended3. For patients who have already undergone AVR and are under surveillance in a valve clinic, national guidelines highlight the importance of assessing patients factors such as frailty to determine the appropriateness of ongoing follow-up4. We evaluated the frailty status of patients who had undergone AVR and were attending the Valve Clinic at Frimley

Improving Heart Failure Management in Older People Introduction Heart failure is a major cause of hospital admission among older people and frequently co-exists with frailty, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment and polypharmacy. These factors increase the complexity of assessment, prescribing and discharge planning. A review of practice on geriatric medicine wards at Royal Preston Hospital identified variation in adherence to guideline-based heart failure management, particularly in documentation of heart failure phenotype, fluid status monitoring and medication optimisation. This project

Introduction Frailty in people with heart failure (HF) is associated with poor outcomes. Multidimensional interventions addressing frailty in people with HF are recommended to improve outcomes. Nurses are frequently involved in delivering frailty interventions. Related contributions are rarely described in detail. As part of the development of a novel evidence-informed complex nursing intervention, this study aimed to assess the relevance and feasibility of components addressing frailty in people with HF from the perspective of potential end users. Methods We used the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness

Introduction Cardiometabolic diseases accumulate with age. Falls are a leading cause of injury, hospitalisation and loss of independence in older adults, and individual cardiometabolic conditions are known to increase falls risk. However, it is unclear how the sequence in which cardiometabolic conditions develop influences subsequent falls risk. We aimed to identify common cardiometabolic disease trajectories and estimate their association with incident falls. Method We used UK primary care data (Clinical Practice Research Datalink), linked to hospital admissions data (HES) in a cohort study

Introduction Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. Conventional disease-focused management often fails to address frailty, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment and polypharmacy, which significantly influence clinical outcomes in this population. This narrative review evaluated current evidence for comprehensive geriatric cardiology and explored multidisciplinary strategies to improve cardiovascular care, functional independence and quality of life in older adults. Method A narrative review was performed using PubMed and the Cochrane

Introduction Hypertension is a leading contributor to cardiovascular mortality; however, its role as an underlying cause of death when intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a contributing factor remains insufficiently characterized. Identifying demographic and geographic patterns may support more targeted prevention strategies. Methods We performed a retrospective observational study using the CDC Multiple Cause of Death database from 1999 to 2020. Adults aged ≥25 years were included if hypertension (ICD-10 codes I10–I15) was listed as the underlying cause of death and ICH (I61) as a contributing

Introduction The involvement of geriatricians in the care of frail, older patients under other specialities, particularly within perioperative settings, has shown to improve outcomes (1). There is growing support for using Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGAs) within Cardiology, due to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease within this cohort and the challenges frailty presents to clinical decision-making (2,3). Methods Our aim was to increase the percentage of CGAs carried out for patients admitted under Cardiology aged ≥65 with a Clinical Frailty Score (CFS) of ≥5 by 50%, between

Introduction: As immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) become standard treatment across an increasing range of cancers, older adults make up a growing share of recipients — yet they may also carry the highest cardiovascular risk from treatment. ICI-induced myocarditis is an uncommon but frequently fatal cardiac complication, with reported mortality of 30–50%. Older age has been repeatedly flagged as a possible risk factor, but no systematic synthesis has examined this alongside other predisposing factors. This review aimed to identify demographic, disease-related, and treatment-related factors

INTRODUCTION Frailty is common among older adults with atrial fibrillation (AF) and may influence anticoagulation prescribing despite not being incorporated into conventional stroke and bleeding risk assessment tools. Concerns regarding falls, bleeding risk and multimorbidity may contribute to therapeutic uncertainty. This study evaluated the association between frailty, anticoagulation use and clinical outcomes in older adults admitted with AF. METHODS A prospective observational study was conducted across four elderly care wards in a UK district general hospital. Consecutive inpatients aged

Introduction: Chronic heart failure (HF) is highly prevalent in older adults, in whom frailty is common and associated with poorer outcomes. Despite advances in guideline-directed medical therapy, concerns regarding tolerability and polypharmacy contribute to under-utilisation in frail patients. This study aimed to map existing evidence on how frailty is incorporated into HF interventional trials. Method: A scoping review was conducted of Medline, Ovid Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov for HF interventional studies published up to August 2025 where frailty was assessed using a

Introduction Invasive and conservative medical management strategies are widely used in the treatment of Non-ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI). Multiple studies have demonstrated no significant long term survival benefit of invasive management in patients aged ≥75 years old presenting with NSTEMI compared to conservative management. Therefore, the optimal management strategy in this age group remains uncertain. Purpose To investigate the 2-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) as the primary outcome in patients aged ≥75 years old presenting with NSTEMI and managed

Introduction Door-to-needle (DTN) time and timely transfer for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) are key modifiable determinants of outcome in acute ischaemic stroke. We assessed reperfusion pathway performance and variables affecting DTN and door-to-departure (DTD) times in MT patients to identify areas for improvement. Method We retrospectively reviewed 239 consecutive patients directly admitted to Northampton General Hospital, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Trust, who underwent reperfusion therapy (rtPA, referred for MT, or both) between January 2025 and May 2026. Time intervals

Introduction: Prehospital vide triage offers the potential to improve prehospital decision-making before hospital arrival. This study aimed to evaluate the newly introduced Prehospital Video Triage (PVT) service for suspected stroke patients at Northampton General Hospital, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Trust. Method: A retrospective comparative analysis was conducted of two cohorts: patients triaged via the standard non-PVT pathway (n = 229) and patients assessed via the PVT service (n = 308), covering the period January to May 2026. Both groups included only calls originating