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Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
More than 800,000 deaths each year are caused by cardiovascular disease. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021)
An estimated $320 billion in healthcare costs and lost productivity annually is attributed to cardiovascular disease. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Related PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs)
The following PFA opens on May 2, 2023. Letters of intent are due on May 31, 2023 by 5:00 pm ET.
Database Identifies Emerging Technologies, Innovations
PCORI's Health Care Horizon Scanning System identifies and monitors new and emerging healthcare technologies and innovations with high potential to change the current standard of care. This systematic process informs PCORI’s investments in patient-centered outcomes research.
PCORI’s Horizon Scanning Database offers healthcare decision makers findings about advancements in six key areas of interest: Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, COVID-19, mental and behavioral health, and rare diseases. This database can be used by patients, care partners, and others to track advancements in care options.
Study Results that Support Better-Informed Decisions
Aspirin Dosing Study Highlights Benefits, Effectiveness for People with Heart Disease
People with cardiovascular disease who took aspirin to lower their chances of having a heart attack or stroke experienced similar health benefits, including reduced death and hospitalization for heart attack and stroke, whether they took a high or low dose of aspirin, according to findings from the PCORI-funded ADAPTABLE Study, the largest aspirin dosing trial conducted in routine care and clinical settings.
The results were presented at ACC.21 – the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session – and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine on May 15, 2021.
Examining a Self-Care Program for Patients with Acute Heart Failure
When heart failure occurs or gets worse suddenly, it’s called acute heart failure, or AHF. Researchers in a PCORI-funded study tested whether a self-care program with a coach supported patients with AHF after they left the emergency room more than usual care supported them. After 30 days, patients in the self-care program had fewer AHF-related deaths and visits to the emergency room, hospital, or clinic, and had higher ratings of their health than those who received usual care. However, these improvements did not hold 90 days after hospitalization. These results appeared in JAMA Cardiology.
Direct Oral Anticoagulants versus Warfarin for Stroke Treatment
The PCORI-funded PROSPER study compared outcomes of older adults who have atrial fibrillation and have had a stroke. In a new paper published in JAMA Neurology, the research team reports that patients who were prescribed direct oral anticoagulants when discharged from the hospital following a stroke had relatively better outcomes—including more days at home and fewer adverse events—than patients prescribed the blood thinner warfarin. This reinforces findings from prior research on the subject.
Shared Decision Making Helps with Advanced Heart Failure
A heart implant called a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) can prolong the lives of people with severe heart failure, but it’s also associated with significant risk for harms, making choosing whether to have one implanted very difficult, according to an article in JAMA Internal Medicine. Using a shared decision making tool focused on LVAD improved patients’ knowledge about their treatment options and risks, this study found, and helped them make initial decisions better aligned with their values.
Evidence for Decisions from PCORI-Funded Studies
Evidence Updates: Reducing Risk of Stroke in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
People with atrial fibrillation (AFib) have a higher risk for stroke compared with people who have a normal heart rhythm. Medicines that keep blood from clotting, called anticoagulants, lower the risk of stroke but can also cause serious bleeding.
A recent review of research found that some newer anticoagulants do better at reducing the risk of stroke, and some also reduce the risk of serious bleeding compared to traditional therapies.
Cardiovascular Disease Project Spotlights
A Heart Valve Disease Network to Engage in Research
Research around heart valve disease often fails to consider patient preferences and challenges, which bears out in the clinical setting. Read about a new community network that aims to connect patients and others throughout the research and dissemination process.
Blood Pressure Checks to Monitor Hypertension
This study is comparing the comfort, convenience, and effects on health when people with hypertension have their blood pressure measured in clinics, at home, at automated blood pressure measuring kiosks, and by wearing an arm cuff with a monitor for 24 hours.
Helping Patients Better Control High Blood Pressure
About one in three American adults has hypertension, or high blood pressure (HBP). This PCORI-funded study is comparing two methods of monitoring HBP to determine whether telehealth offers an edge over more traditional clinic-based care.