Monday, July 9, 2018, CLEVELAND: The National Institutes of Health has awarded Cleveland Clinic researcher Eileen Hsich, M.D., $2.8 million over four years to evaluate disparities in survival among heart failure patients before and after heart transplantation and to create tools that would optimize outcomes.
"We believe that to improve care for those with heart failure awaiting transplant, we must better understand how differences among patients affect the timing of transplants and survival. With this knowledge, we can create innovative models that can help physicians decide the best time for individual patients to be transplanted," said Dr. Hsich. "The findings from these research projects will hopefully lay the groundwork for a dynamic and improved way to allocate hearts in the future."
Heart failure affects 6.5 million Americans, and many need advanced care such as circulatory support devices or transplant. However, due to a shortage of organs, numerous people die each year waiting for a heart. Currently, about 4,000 patients are waiting for heart transplants, and in 2017, surgeons performed about 3,200 heart transplants.
The grant will be used for three research projects:
This work with will build upon other studies by Dr. Hsich investigating disparities in heart transplant patients. Her previous research has identified differences in heart transplant waiting list survival based on type of heart disease. Other research that she has led confirmed that despite shorter times on the list, women have higher mortality compared to men waiting urgently for heart transplants.
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