Dr Anna Maria Choy

Dr Anna Maria Choy is a Senior Clinical Lecturer and a consultant cardiologist with interests in inherited and acquired arrhythmias. She is also the lead for international medical students at the medical school.

Prior to her appointment in 2004 to University of Dundee, she was an associate professor in Cardiology, and head of the Arrhythmia Service at the University of Malaya, an American Heart Association Fellow at Vanderbilt University, USA. Her research interests are arrhythmia related; focusing on implantable cardiac electronic devices for arrhythmia management, the familial arrhythmias, anti arrhythmic drugs and atrial fibrillation. Dr Choy is also the national lead clinician for FANS (the Familial Arrhythmia Network for Scotland), a national specialist network for patients with malignant arrhythmias due to genetic   disease.  She was awarded the National Award for  Outstanding Contribution to the Management of Inherited Cardiac Conditions from the Arrhythmia Alliance in 2009.

Impact of Research

Maintaining serum potassium in drug induced long QT syndrome. Her research on the importance of potassium in drug induced arrhythmias is cited as the supporting evidence in the recommendation of current American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology on the Prevention of torsade de pointes in hospital settings.

Dr Choy’s work with FANS was recognized by the National Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Management of Inherited Cardiac Conditions from the Arrhythmia Aliiance in 2009.

Dr AnnaMaria Choy’s Publications

1. Elder DH, Lang CC, Rekhraj S, Szwejkowski B, George J, Pringle SD, Struthers AD, Choy AM. Renin-Angiotensin System Blockers are Associated with Reduced Mortality and Heart Failure Hospitalisation in Patients Paced for Complete Atrio-Ventricular Block. Heart Rhythm. 2012 Apr;9(4):505-10
   • Renin-Angiotensin system blockers are drugs that are commonly used for hypertension, heart failure and coronary artery disease as they improve the prognosis of patients. The results from this observatory study indicate that these drugs may have similar benefit in improving prognosis of patients with pacemakers, who are at risk from the harmful effects of long term pacing.
2. Elder DH, Singh JS, Levin D, Donnelly LA, Choy AM, George J, Struthers AD, Doney AS, Lang CC. Mean HbA1c and mortality in diabetic individuals with heart failure: a population cohort study.  Eur J Heart Fail. 2016;18(1):94-102
   • This study provide evidence of a what is the best level for blood glucose control in patients with diabetes and heart failure.
3. Calvin W L Chin, Anoop S V Shah, David A McAllister, S Joanna Cowell,Shirjel Alam, Jeremy P Langrish, Fiona E Strachan, Amanda L Hunter, Anna Maria Choy, Chim C Lang, Simon Walker, Nicholas A Boon, David E Newby,Nicholas L Mills, Marc R Dweck High-sensitivity troponin I concentrations are a marker of an advanced hypertrophic response and adverse outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis. European Heart Journal (Impact Factor: 14.7). 05/2014; DOI:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu189.
   • This study describes how a protein released by the heart can predict harmful changes in the heart in outcomes in patients with narrowing of the aortic heart valve.
4. Elder DHJ, Lang CC, Rekhraj S, Szwejkowski B, George J, Pringle SD, Struthers ADS, Choy AM. Right ventricular pacing impairs endothelial function in man. Europace (2011) 13(6): 853-858 first published online February 2011 doi:10.1093/europace/eur028.
   • In this study we demonstrate the mechanism how in certain patients pacing may cause harm by effecting changes in the function of blood vessels in the circulation.
5. Barclay JL, Gibson PH, Lewis A, Wilson C, Affolter JT, Patel JC, Scott NW, Alexander DA, Choy AM, Broadhurst PA. Adverse psychological effects and costs associated with waiting for radiofrequency ablation. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2013 Jun;36(6):719-26.
   • Radio frequency ablation is an effective treatment for some forms of irregular heart beat. This study showed adverse psychological effects suffered by patients as they waited for treatment. These adverse effects disappeared after treatment. We believe this shows that more effort and resource should be put into reducing waiting lists for this treatment.