European network for promoting the physical health of residents in psychiatric and social care facilities (HELPS): background, aims and methods.

BACKGROUND: People with mental disorders have a higher prevalence of physical illnesses and reduced life expectancy as compared with the general population. However, there is a lack of knowledge across Europe concerning interventions that aim at reducing somatic morbidity and excess mortality by promoting behaviour-based and/or environment-based interventions. METHODS AND DESIGN: HELPS is an interdisciplinary European network that aims at (i) gathering relevant knowledge on physical illness in people with mental illness, (ii) identifying health promotion initiatives in European countries that meet country-specific needs, and (iii) at identifying best practice across Europe. Criteria for best practice will include evidence on the efficacy of physical health interventions and of their effectiveness in routine care, cost implications and feasibility for adaptation and implementation of interventions across different settings in Europe. HELPS will develop and implement a "physical health promotion toolkit". The toolkit will provide information to empower residents and staff to identify the most relevant risk factors in their specific context and to select the most appropriate action out of a range of defined health promoting interventions. The key methods are (a) stakeholder analysis, (b) international literature reviews, (c) Delphi rounds with experts from participating centres, and (d) focus groups with staff and residents of mental health care facilities.Meanwhile a multi-disciplinary network consisting of 15 European countries has been established and took up the work. As one main result of the project they expect that a widespread use of the HELPS toolkit could have a significant positive effect on the physical health status of residents of mental health and social care facilities, as well as to hold resonance for community dwelling people with mental health problems. DISCUSSION: A general strategy on health promotion for people with mental disorders must take into account behavioural, environmental and iatrogenic health risks. A European health promotion toolkit needs to consider heterogeneity of mental disorders, the multitude of physical health problems, health-relevant behaviour, health-related attitudes, health-relevant living conditions, and resource levels in mental health and social care facilities.

Unexpected evolution of a non-stenotic lesion in the left main coronary artery of a patient with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

A 72-year-old man was referred to our catheterization laboratory 48 hours after a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. His medical history included coronary artery disease (CAD) (percutaneous coronary intervention of the right coronary artery and chronic total occlusion of the circumflex artery), atrial fibrillation (AF), and chronic kidney disease. An electrocardiogram showed a pre-existent left bundle-branch block and the patient's maximum cardiac troponin concentration was 8.64 µg/L (upper limit of normal: 0.003 µg/L). The coronary angiogram revealed an ulcerated plaque of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) and moderate stenosis of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. A non-interventional approach to treatment was chosen. One month later, a control angiography showed a giant distal aneurysm complicating the lesion; the fractional flow reserve (FFR) value in the LAD was 0.74. The heart team discussed the case and concluded that the aneurysm was inaccessible via surgery. To protect the LAD from possible covered stent thrombosis or restenosis, coronary artery bypass grafting of the LAD was performed prior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Five days later, we proceeded with percutaneous exclusion of the aneurysm. We combined coil embolization of three Interlock™ two-dimensional detachable coils with stenting of the LMCA, using a PK Papyrus™ covered stent. Effective angiographic exclusion was achieved. The patient was discharged on warfarin, aspirin, and clopidogrel for 1 month, followed by long-term aspirin and oral anticoagulation. A 6-month follow-up angiography demonstrated a completely sealed aneurysm and optical coherence tomography (OCT) confirmed the successful endothelialization of the covered stent.