Heart Failure MSc

Epidemiology and Aetiology of Heart failure (12 credits)

This module will give you an in-depth understanding of the causes and aetiology of heart failure, along with an expert understanding of its epidemiology. You will master the definitions of heart failure according to presentation, aetiology and results of diagnostic testing, and understand the possible differential diagnoses in patients presenting with suspected heart failure, including rarer causes including genetic, metabolic, toxic, pregnancy-related, infective, and infiltrative causes.

This module will help you develop the expertise required to implement the national and international guidelines with insight and to understand how to apply them to each individual patient.

Diagnosis of Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module provides you with a comprehensive experience of the cardiovascular evaluation of patients with suspected heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to evaluate patients with signs and symptoms of heart failure and of how to differentiate between alternative diagnoses and phenotypes of cardiac disease.

You will explore the indications and interpretation of a number of investigative modalities. You will also gain an understanding of the value and challenges of biomarker testing and potential implications for the diagnosis and prognostication of patients with heart failure.

Therapy and Management of Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will give you comprehensive theoretical and practical experience in managing patients with heart failure, underpinned by an in-depth understanding of the relevant international guidelines. You will learn to develop critical responses to current national and international treatment guidelines and practices and be able to suggest new concepts and analyse the differences behind the different approaches for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.

You will gain a deep understanding of possible drug-drug interactions and the contra-indication of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular therapies. You will learn about the indications for device implantation within the therapeutic pathway and the current recommendations for emerging therapies in heart failure.

Co-morbidities in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module gives you a detailed experience of the most common co-morbidities in patients with heart failure. You will learn how to flexibly and creatively apply advanced methodological approaches to determine heart failure treatment strategies taking into account the varying importance of co-morbidities.

You will learn about the indications and interpretation of a number of investigative modalities for detection of the most common co-morbidities occurring in patients with heart failure. You will also gain an understanding of frailty, sarcopenia and cachexia in heart failure and their implications in the therapeutic pathways.

Management of Arrhythmias and Device Therapies in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will give you comprehensive practical experience of the management of arrhythmias and the expert indication for device therapies in patients with heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to detect and manage potentially lethal arrhythmias, and you will explore the indications and interpretation of a number of devices for the treatment of arrhythmias in patients with heart failure.

You will also learn the value and challenges of electrophysiological testing and potential implications for the management of patients with heart failure.

Advanced Imaging in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will develop your knowledge and skills in heart failure-related imaging. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to evaluate patients with heart failure in different clinical scenarios using different imaging techniques. You will explore the indications and interpretation of a number of investigative modalities including advanced echocardiography, cardiac MRI, CT coronary angiography and drug provocation testing. You will also gain an understanding of the best indication of the different tests according to the different clinical presentations and patient characteristics.

Advanced Heart Failure and Advanced Therapy in Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will give you broad practical knowledge of advanced therapy to be used in patients with advanced heart failure. You will gain a thorough understanding of how to manage patients with advanced heart failure using both medical and device therapy.

You will explore the indications of a number of advanced therapies in heart failure including ultrafiltration, left ventricular assist devices and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. You will also gain an understanding of the correct timing to use left ventricular assist devices as both a bridge and as destination therapy.

Multi-disciplinary team management and end-stage heart failure (12 credits)

This module will develop your knowledge and skills in the multi-disciplinary management of patients with end-stage heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of current management and research into treatments and develop a detailed knowledge of the psychological impact of advanced heart failure treatment on the patient and their family.

You will learn to support effective communication within the multidisciplinary team in managing patient care by making appropriate connections with heart failure nurses, care of the elderly and general physicians, primary care physicians, palliative care services and pharmacists and how to organise multidisciplinary meetings to discuss patient care.

Acute Heart Failure (12 credits)

This module will develop your competences in the management of patients with acute heart failure. You will gain an in-depth understanding of how to treat patients with acute heart failure according to the clinical presentation, and on how to reach a timely diagnosis.

You will explore the indications of different therapeutic strategies that can be adopted after phenotypisation of the patient. You will also gain an understanding of the best indication of the different diagnostic tests and procedures to be applied according to the different clinical presentations and patient characteristics.

Cardiac Rehabilitation (12 credits)

This module is designed to enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and competencies required to organise, manage and deliver a Phase IV Cardiac Rehabilitation programme within a hospital or community setting. The module has a special focus on the rehabilitation of patients with heart failure who want to manage their condition and deal with activities of daily living.

It is based on the European guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation, which promote evidence-based practice for patients who have had a known cardiac event. You will gain knowledge of aspects of cardiac disease, be exposed to the multidisciplinary nature of effective cardiac rehabilitation services, and learn to modify rehabilitation programmes for patients with heart failure.

Research project (60 credits)

In this part of the course, you will plan, prepare and conduct research into a heart failure topic of your choosing. You will then analyse, discuss and present the outcomes of your research.

The research project is a key component of the MSc and allows you to apply your newly developed skills and knowledge to a real-life clinical scenario. The planning of the research task (including logistics, risk assessment and ethical approval, where appropriate) helps you to develop organisational skills. The research itself gives you the opportunity to develop your skills in the collection, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and presentation of data in relation to current research in your chosen area of study.

You are encouraged to consider your area of interest as early as possible and to discuss these with your educational supervisor and course directors of the MSc. You will be given a list of potential research areas and topics which you can choose your project from. It should be based on one of the following types of research:

• Analysis and discussion of primary data that you collect
• Analysis and discussion of existing (e.g. secondary) data
• Systematic review and analysis of published material
Research in a workplace environment leading to and/or evaluating a practice or service innovation

The research project is primarily self-directed study but students will can choose a local supervisor within their clinical institution and also receive support from the MSc faculty to ensure appropriate methological expertise.