Study Type
Observational
ongoing
Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospitalization in patients older than 65 years of age. Following HF hospitalization approximately 25% of patients are readmitted within 1 month of discharge and more than 50% of patients are readmitted within 6 months.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common comorbidity in patients with HF and it is a common cause of HF exacerbation. However, the majority of patients are in sinus rhythm when they present to hospital with acutely decompensated HF and the cause cannot be identified in 40-50% of patients.
In the PROTECT-HF study, we are hypothesizing that subclinical atrial fibrillation (SCAF) is highly prevalent in patients with HF and is an important cause of HF exacerbation and hospitalization. The proposed study is a non-intervention cohort study to determine the prevalence of SCAF in patients discharged after a hospitalization for HF and define its relationship to HF hospital readmission at 30 days.
Study Design
Multicentre, prospective cohort study
NO. of Countries
1
NO. of Sites
3
NO. of Participants
160
Study Period
2018-2023
Sponsor
PHRI
Jorge Wong
Scientist
Jorge Wong
Scientist
Jorge Wong is a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, as well as a scientist in the Arrhythmia and Heart Failure program at PHRI. His research interests focus primarily on the intersection between atrial fibrillation and heart failure, atrial fibrillation epidemiology and catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. He holds research grants from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and Hamilton Health Sciences.
He obtained his MD at McMaster, followed by his internal medicine and cardiology training at the University of Western Ontario. Jorge subsequently completed his clinical electrophysiology fellowship at the University of Calgary and at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He has a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Health Research Methods at McMaster.
Tara McCready
Program Director
Tara McCready
Program Director
Tara McCready, PhD, oversees a variety of collaborative programs at PHRI, and serves as Project Manager for PHRI research studies and registries.
She was recruited to PHRI as a Program Director for the Canadian Network and Centre for Trials Internationally (CANNeCTIN), a national network funded by the CIHR/CFI Clinical Research Initiative program to improve the prevention and treatment of cardiac and vascular diseases and diabetes.
Previously the Executive Director of the Canadian Maternal, Infant, Child and Youth Research Network, Tara holds a PhD in Biochemistry and a MBA in Technology Commercialization from the University of Alberta.
Alex Grinvalds
Project Manager
Alex Grinvalds
Project Manager
Alex Grinvalds has more than 15 years experience in clinical research, of which 13 have been at PHRI. He has worked on randomized studies, device trials and numerous registries. Currently, Alex is working on studies involving patients with heart failure and arrhythmias.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Queen’s University and a Certificate in Clinical Research from Humber College.
Heart & Stroke Foundation
Canadian Stroke Prevention Intervention Network (C-SPIN)
Canadian Cardiovascular Society
Hamilton Health Sciences
McMaster University FHS, Division of Cardiology, Innovation Fund
ongoing
SCAF-HF
Arrhythmia & Heart Failure
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common co-morbidity in patients with heart failure (HF). In...
