Improving Functional Outcomes After Fontan Surgery By A Cross-sectional Study Of The Outcomes Following Variation In Practice In Australia And New Zealand: Focus On Anticoagulation And Cardiac Shunting By The Fenestration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$768,643.00
Summary
The Fontan procedure is the last of a series of life-saving operations offered to children born with only one pumping chamber in their heart. We intend to perform the largest and most detailed investigation to date of the patients enrolled in the Australia and New Zealand Fontan Registry, today the world's largest database of this kind. This cross-sectional study will enable us to identify the drugs and interventions that will best maximize their exercise capacity and quality of life
National Database Of Patients With Atrioventicular Septal Defects
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$45,341.00
Summary
Atrioventricular septal defects are a group of childhood heart diseases affecting all four chambers of the heart and two of the valves. These children do not normally survive past 30 years without surgery. Surgery offers a chance at life, but in the long term up to a quarter of children need further surgery. We are developing an Australian database to determine how best to reduce the risk of these complications, the burden on these children and the cost to society.
Guaranteeing Survival Into Adulthood, Physical Health And Psychological Well-being To Children Born With Single Ventricles.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,773.00
Summary
Being born with a single pumping heart chamber is the most severe heart condition but thanks to several operations we can see them survive. A growing population of young functional adults now face an uncertain future and we have no options for them. A/Pr Y d’Udekem is a leading paediatric cardiac surgeon. His research aims to provide the medications, reinterventions and artificial hearts that are necessary to give them a longer and fulfilling life.
Management Of Families With A Genetic Cause Of Sudden Cardiac Death
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$307,946.00
Summary
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a tragic complication of a number of genetic heart diseases, where families have to cope with the grief of losing a family member and the risk to themselves. This research seeks to better understand the psychosocial impact to family members; to determine what access and services families are currently provided with; and to determine the cost-effectiveness of family management strategies. The ultimate goal is that every family will have access to high-quality and cos ....Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a tragic complication of a number of genetic heart diseases, where families have to cope with the grief of losing a family member and the risk to themselves. This research seeks to better understand the psychosocial impact to family members; to determine what access and services families are currently provided with; and to determine the cost-effectiveness of family management strategies. The ultimate goal is that every family will have access to high-quality and cost-effective management practices.Read moreRead less
Giving An Adult Life After Fontan Surgery To Those With The Most Severe Congenital Heart Conditions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,295,355.00
Summary
The Fontan operation is the last of a series of operations performed for babies born with a single pumping heart chamber (ventricle). In the largest research of its kind, the Australia and New Zealand Fontan Registry partners with Heartkids, the parents’ association and the National Heart Foundation are intending to improve their life as they step into adulthood. We believe that our new standardised model of care will decrease their risk of experiencing adverse events such as stroke and reoperat ....The Fontan operation is the last of a series of operations performed for babies born with a single pumping heart chamber (ventricle). In the largest research of its kind, the Australia and New Zealand Fontan Registry partners with Heartkids, the parents’ association and the National Heart Foundation are intending to improve their life as they step into adulthood. We believe that our new standardised model of care will decrease their risk of experiencing adverse events such as stroke and reoperation.Read moreRead less
The RINSE Trial: The Rapid Infusion Of Cold Normal SalinE By Paramedics During CPR
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$708,241.00
Summary
Sudden cardiac arrest is a common event in the community. Therapeutic hypothermia decreases the brain injury caused by the cardiac arrest and is currently used in the hospital after successful resuscitation. However, there may be better outcomes if the brain is cooled by paramedics during resuscitation. We will compare survival rates for those patients cooled early by paramedics using an infusion of ice-saline during cardiac arrest with those patients who are later cooled by the hospital.
National Centre Of Research Excellence To Improve Management Of Peripheral Arterial Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,618,637.00
Summary
Approximately 15% of adults have blockages or weakness of major arteries in the periphery, associated with impaired quality of life and a high mortality. Significant management deficiencies for these problems include limited diagnostic, prognostic and treatment options, as well as poor adoption of evidence based practice. The proposed national centre will bring together a group of experts in the field to instigate a number of initiatives to improve patient management.
Clinical, Genetic And Psychosocial Aspects Of Sudden Cardiac Death
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,423.00
Summary
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young is a tragic complication of a number of genetic heart diseases. Families must deal with profound grief and act on the genetic risk to themselves and other relatives. Clinical management can include the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and is the only therapy proven to prevent SCD. This proposal seeks to investigate the clinical, genetic and psychosocial aspects of managing families who present following a SCD, including psychological outcomes o ....Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the young is a tragic complication of a number of genetic heart diseases. Families must deal with profound grief and act on the genetic risk to themselves and other relatives. Clinical management can include the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and is the only therapy proven to prevent SCD. This proposal seeks to investigate the clinical, genetic and psychosocial aspects of managing families who present following a SCD, including psychological outcomes of life-saving ICD therapy.Read moreRead less
The Australia And New Zealand Fontan Registry: A Growing Population Of Young Adults With Heart Failure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$129,103.00
Summary
The Fontan procedure is an operation performed for all children with heart defects who cannot be repaired with 2 pumping chambers like a normal heart. It is expected that after 2 or 3 decades, these patients will either die or need a heart transplantation. We want to establish a registry to evaluate the number and status of this increasing patient population. This study may foresee and even prevent a sudden burden on the health system caused by their needs.
Randomised Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial Of Aspirin In Primary Prevention Of CVD Events Or Dementia In The Aged.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,532,500.00
Summary
The single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age. All men aged 75 years have a 10-15% risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 5 years. Low dose aspirin has been shown to prevent further strokes and heart attacks in people who have already had one. It has been also shown to protect people who have not had a heart attack or stroke but who are at increased risk. Given that the elderly are at increased risk why do we need to do a trial in this particular group? The ....The single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease is age. All men aged 75 years have a 10-15% risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 5 years. Low dose aspirin has been shown to prevent further strokes and heart attacks in people who have already had one. It has been also shown to protect people who have not had a heart attack or stroke but who are at increased risk. Given that the elderly are at increased risk why do we need to do a trial in this particular group? The reason is that relatively few elderly patients were included in the previous prevention trials. Also while the elderly may have the most to gain from treatment, they also have the most to lose because they are more likely to suffer from side-effects. Aspirin prevents heart attacks by stopping clots forming in blood vessels. This also means that people taking it have an increased tendency to bleed. Thus though it may prevent strokes due to clots it may also increase the risk of strokes caused by bleeding. Bleeding from the gut is another major problem as aspirin tends to erode the lining of the stomach. Minor bleeding from the gut can also lower blood oxygen carrying capacity which may exacerbate other diseases associated with ageing, e.g. heart failure. Dementia may be caused by repeated clots in small or large vessels. Dementia is a particular problem in the elderly affecting 10% of 85 year olds. It is a major cause of loss of quality of life and a significant cost to the community. Aspirin may reduce the progression of such a disease leading to a maintained quality of life (QOL) for individuals and their families. As our age increases our years of life remaining decreases. This is self-evident. Thus the potential to add years to life reduces and the potential of diseases to adversely affect quality of life becomes more important. Thus it may be more important to prevent a nonfatal stroke that leads to institutionalisation than a fatal stroke. Hence QOL will be assessed.Read moreRead less