Celebrating Veterinary Cardiology: Professor Karen Blissitt BVSc DVA PhD MRCVS

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This February the University of Liverpool Veterinary Alumni Association are celebrating alumni who are passionate about veterinary cardiology. We caught up with alumna Karen Blissitt (BVSc 1982), Personal Chair of Equine Cardiology and Anaesthesia at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

Did anyone inspire you while you were a student?

I had the pleasure of being taught applied anatomy by A.S. King in my first year at Liverpool. I have referred to his coursebooks on many occasions for diagrams of cranial nerves, equine GI tract etc. Then I was inspired by Harry Ritchie and Paul Neal in my final year. Harry Richie taught equine cardiology, but it was very mathematically orientated and I never understood it (so many murmurs, so many arrhythmias, some normal, some not) and I never knew how you could tell which one was which!

When did you know you were interested in cardiology?

On graduating I wanted to go into large animal practice. You have to remember times were very different when I graduated. In my year there were 50 students of which 11 were female. The girls had to wait until the male students had all gained employment, even the ones who failed their final exams before they were considered for large animal positions. At the time, I was paid £4,000 a year for working an 85 to 95-hour week on a 1 in 2 rota. The starting salary for my male colleagues was £5,000 a year.

After two years working in general practice, I went to Australia for one year where I worked in predominantly small animal practice. On returning to the U.K., I was looking to join a large animal practice, so took a job as a demonstrator at the University of Edinburgh while I looked around at local practices. The job of a demonstrator is similar to that of an intern today. I worked with experts in farm animal reproduction, equine orthopaedics, equine respiratory medicine, and large animal anaesthesia.

During my second year in post, I discussed my future with the Head of School. I described my frustration at not being good enough in all of the subjects demanded by my position. I shared that I would like to have the time to concentrate on just one thing, so a PhD was suggested. My only request was that it was in large animals and was clinically relevant. I was put in touch with a veterinary cardiologist who specialised in small animal cardiology and was looking for a PhD student. I was also fortunate that, at the same time, an eminent veterinary cardiologist from the U.S.A. was coming over on a sabbatical.

I fell into cardiology by chance and having joined the University of Edinburgh “for just one year” in 1987, I have never left.  Along with fellow alumni Professor Lesley Young and Professor John Keen, my research has aimed to answer, ‘why do horses die under general anaesthesia’, ‘what causes sudden cardiac death in racehorses’ and ‘how can we improve the treatment of atrial fibrillation in horses’. My teaching has aimed to improve the auscultation skills of students and veterinary surgeons to give them the confidence to diagnose equine cardiac disease in practice.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

Do not try to specialise too early. Do not underestimate the speciality which is general practice and what you can learn from this and other workplaces.  Take time to enjoy your life: you have spent years in formal education, give yourself time to build your confidence and hone your clinical skills. You can learn from all species and across many disciplines.

What is your top tip for cardiology in first opinion practice?

As said by A.S. King: “For every mistake made from not knowing, nine are made from not looking”. Always count the heart rate and respiratory rate. Practice your auscultation; if you don't know what you are hearing, ask someone for help. Keep asking the question ‘why?’ and try to understand the underlying pathophysiology.

Thank you, Karen, for helping us celebrate veterinary cardiology and our alumni community.

Have you got an update you would like to share with your fellow alumni? Send your updates to ulvaa@liverpool.ac.uk.