A KNOW Your Pulse event was held at Farnham Hospital on November 22 to raise awareness of undiagnosed irregular heart rhythm.

More than 64 people – including colleagues and members of the public – had their pulse rhythm checked and received educational materials on atrial fibrillation (AF) and the importance of knowing their pulse during the event.

It came after Virgin Care, which has delivered community services at Farnham Hospital since 2012, joined up with AF Association to promote the charity’s Global AF Aware Week.

Most people in the UK do not know about the importance of their pulse and how to check for an irregular heart rhythm, and the event served to raise awareness of the risks and highlight that there are more than half a million people with undiagnosed AF.

The AF Association is campaigning to find more of these undiagnosed people during its Global AF Aware Week, which ran from November 20 to 26.

Grace Iluis, heat failure specialist nurse at Virgin Care, said: “Through the work of AF Association, I was made aware of the importance of knowing your pulse rhythm and I wanted to support their campaign to ensure people are more aware of the risks of AF.” 

Trudie Lobban MBE, founder and CEO of AF Association added: “This year for our 10th anniversary during AF Association - Global AF Aware Week we are focusing on identifying the undiagnosed person with AF.

“Our aim is to make people aware of AF, and how a simple pulse rhythm check can help identify those people at risk of AF-related stroke, the most debilitating and life-threatening of all strokes.”