|
Congestive Heart Failure Program |
|
The Heart program at UCH is a world-class program with basic, translational, and clinical research, a highly skilled clinical faculty, and a regional referral network. The clinical faculty has a high volume of patients under their care, recent years have seen an increase in HF patients and their severity of illness. The major development and plans for the program in the upcoming year include the following:
The outpatient service in the Heart Center is expected to expand with re-organization of staff, and addition of dedicated nurse practitioners. Outpatient clinic is being expanded from one day per week to four to accommodate growth.
- The heart failure program will assist in the development of a post myocardial infarction/heart failure prevention pathway and clinic.
- New clinical trials are being planned including 1) surgically placed LV restraining devices to reverse detrimental chamber remodeling, 2) 3rd generation implantable artificial hearts (axial flow devices), and 3) Bi-ventricular pacing studies in heart failure. In addition to these device trials we are planning clinical drug studies involving vasopressin receptor antagonist, thyroid hormone analogues, aldosterone inhibitors and natriuretic peptides.
- A variety of surgical and percutaneous mechanical assist devices are now available and the LVAD program has received new support from the Cardiac and Vascular Center. A nurse coordinator has been added to oversee the program, provide patient care and to perform community education.
- The heart failure program will provide the patient base to grow the volume in the heart transplant, cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology, genetics, LVAD and sleep disordered breathing programs.
- The basic science activities related to CHF flourish. With the leadership of Mike Bristow and Leslie Leinwand, the Cardiovascular Institute is expected to continue with innovative research in the molecular basis of myocardial disease and adrenergic regulation.
- The cardiovascular research space in the basic research building is being expanded to meet the needs of the current physicians as well as future recruits. The heart failure faculty will assist with the design and planning of the cardiovascular centers for the General Clinical Research Center and for the Clinical Trials Organization.
- The heart failure program will assist the LVAD and transplant programs in establishing a referral base from New Mexico
- Brian Lowes continues as Medical director but also as a successful scientist with his K23 award on Gene Expression Abnormalities in the Failing Human Heart. Andreas Brieke,MD now co-directs LVAD program.
|
|
Brian Lowes, MD
Director, Congestive Heart Failure Program
Associate Professor of Medicine
Luisa Mestroni, MD
Professor of Medicine
Andreas Brieke, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Michael Bristow, MD
Professor of Medicine
Eugene Wolfel, MD
Professor of Medicine
JoAnn Lindenfeld, MD
Professor of Medicine
|
|
Debra Frguson, MSN
Instructor, Nurse Practioner
Mona Cantu, MSN
Instructor, Nurse Practioner
|
|
|