An Implementation Trial Of A Telephone-based Care Management Program For Patients Following Myocardial Infarction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$641,656.00
Summary
We are trialling the implementation of an innovative telephone-delivered program for managing people who have had a heart attack. Cardiac rehabilitation programs are generally based in hospitals in Australia and people have to be able to attend the programs when they are offered. Even though such programs have been shown to be very effective in improving outcomes after a heart attack, at least 85% of Australians after a heart attack are either unable to access and-or unable to attend such progra ....We are trialling the implementation of an innovative telephone-delivered program for managing people who have had a heart attack. Cardiac rehabilitation programs are generally based in hospitals in Australia and people have to be able to attend the programs when they are offered. Even though such programs have been shown to be very effective in improving outcomes after a heart attack, at least 85% of Australians after a heart attack are either unable to access and-or unable to attend such programs due to transport and many other barriers. So, there is an urgent need to identify new, effective, and affordable ways of delivering cardiac rehabilitation programs to people after a heart attack. The proposed telephone-delivered program will be particularly appropriate for disadvantaged people, such as those living in rural and remote areas as well as Indigenous Australians, who do not currently have access to hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation programs. People who have had a heart attack will be recruited from three of Brisbane's largest public teaching hospitals, and will then be randomly assigned to the telephone-delivered cardiac rehabilitation program (Care Management Intervention group) or to a control or Usual Care group. The Care Management Intervention group will receive regular telephone calls from a highly qualified 'Care Manager' based at the renowned National Heart Foundation of Australia telephone support service, 'Heartline'. The Care Manager will help people to manage their heart condition and prevent the reoccurrence of further heart problems. People will also be encouraged to make necessary lifestyle and behavioural changes with the assistance of the Care Manager and some Heart Foundation educational and interactive resources to record their progress. We expect that the program or Care Management Intervention group will have better health outcomes than the control or Usual Care group at 6 and 12 months follow up.Read moreRead less
New Materials for an Implantable Blood Pump. Rotary blood pumps are at the leading edge of heart assist technology. VentrAssist has developed an innovative rotary blood pump with a hydro-dynamically suspended impeller. Advanced surface modifications will enable the device to be fabricated from polymers; this will make the device light, more compatible with the human body and less costly to produce. Surface treatments and coatings will be applied using ion implantation, to impart the required ....New Materials for an Implantable Blood Pump. Rotary blood pumps are at the leading edge of heart assist technology. VentrAssist has developed an innovative rotary blood pump with a hydro-dynamically suspended impeller. Advanced surface modifications will enable the device to be fabricated from polymers; this will make the device light, more compatible with the human body and less costly to produce. Surface treatments and coatings will be applied using ion implantation, to impart the required dimensional stability, impermeability and wear resistance. Following sophisticated experiments of modified materials, the best candidates will be used in prototype devices, for final selection of the optimal materials for the new device.Read moreRead less
Determining how calcium regulates mitochondrial function in models of cardiomyopathy. Heart failure is the leading cause of death in Australia. This project will determine the mechanisms by which the failing heart is associated with disorganisation of the cell and poor energy supply so that interventions aimed at reducing the development of heart failure can be developed.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102878
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Mobile phone text reminders to modify behaviours and prevent cardiovascular disease. Strategies are needed to improve adherence to behavioural and medical preventative treatments for heart disease. Brief informative reminders sent via mobile phone text message have potential as a cheap and safe method of improving behavioural change and adherence to treatments in people at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Towards a healthier food supply: achieving policy change and industry action. This research aims to identify mechanisms by which to improve the quality of the Australian food supply. The findings will have the potential to inform government and industry policies on healthier foods with the aim of decreasing chronic disease.
Cytorefractometry - a new technique for refractive index tomography of living cells. An ultrahigh-resolution bifocal optical coherence refractometry is proposed, and will result to micron-scale-resolution refractive index tomography of living cells, termed cytorefractometry. This technique represents an extension from bifocal optical coherence refractometry that has recently shown a remarkable promise for direct, several-frames-per-second, motion-artifact-free determination of refractive index ....Cytorefractometry - a new technique for refractive index tomography of living cells. An ultrahigh-resolution bifocal optical coherence refractometry is proposed, and will result to micron-scale-resolution refractive index tomography of living cells, termed cytorefractometry. This technique represents an extension from bifocal optical coherence refractometry that has recently shown a remarkable promise for direct, several-frames-per-second, motion-artifact-free determination of refractive index in turbid media, including biological tissue in vivo. We propose to apply our novel technique to study tissue calcification, a serious problem in cardiology, by making use of the refractive index contrast mechanism. Calcification of smooth muscle cells and aorta subdermal implant models will be studied aiming for prevention of calcification-associated pathologies.Read moreRead less
A Population-based Birth Cohort Study Of The Development Of Atherosclerosis In Early Life
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$780,067.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) are leading causes of death and illness in adults in Australia. The changes in blood vessels that lead to these conditions begin before birth. This project investigates the factors that contribute to these early changes from birth onwards, and will facilitate development of targeted prevention in high-risk groups to reduce cardiovascular disease in later life.
Benefits of blood pressure lowering to combat cardiovascular disease. Stroke and heart attack are the commonest causes of death and adult disability. In Australia, approximately 50,000 people die from cardiovascular disease each year. This project will attempt to prevent stroke/heart attack and to improve quality of life by exploring better management of high blood pressure.
Binary regression with additive predictors: new statistical theory with healthcare applications. This project will develop new statistical analysis techniques for predicting whether someone is at risk of adverse health outcomes. The project will then apply the new techniques to a large database on heart attacks, leading to new insights into how patient characteristics and treatments affect the chance of dying from a heart attack.
Sex Hormones And Heart Disease In Older Women Study (The SHOW Study)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$594,672.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD, heart disease and stroke) is the leading cause of death in women aged 65 and over. Counter-intuitively, androgens may be as, or even more important, than estrogens in determining CVD risk and all-cause mortality in women, but this is yet to be verified. We will document blood levels of androgens in women aged 70+ and determine whether androgens are associated with CVD and death in this large cohort of elderly well women.