Research Development Fund – Awarded Projects

Funded projects

• A systematic review into the natural history of bioprostheses in the pulmonary position. This will address a vital research gap in congenital heart disease (endorsed by the BCCA)
• Development of a platform trial in aortic stenosis (an initiative of the NIHR-BHF Cardiovascular Partnership AS Working Group supported by BSCMR).
• An evaluation of the effects of exercise prescription on cardiovascular health and quality of life in children with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
• Setting the research agenda for CTCA use in immune mediated inflammatory diseases.
• Investigating if delaying reassessment of left ventricular ejection fraction after instituting contemporary guideline-recommended pharmacological therapy for heart failure reduces the need for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
• Support for the development of a National Echocardiographic Database of the UK. This will provide significant insight into the prognostic value of echocardiography and into disease progression in a diverse population whilst providing scope for multi-disciplinary collaboration.
• Synthesise the evidence base for screening in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to evaluate and improve the understanding of targeted screening in those with and without a genetic risk.
• Data analysis and Delphi study for the diagnostic and treatment delays in heart failure; multidimensional correlates and stakeholder consensus.
• A Cochrane Network Meta-Analysis of available evidence for oral antithrombotic agents in adults undergoing first-time CABG to assess their clinical effectiveness in reducing all-cause mortality after CABG surgery
• A systematic review and data analysis to strengthen a grant application for a multi-centre randomised control trial to determine the safety and cost-utility of out-patient management services for acute heart failure compared to conventional in-patient management
• Preparatory work to apply for funding for a cardio-oncology, multi-centre study of fluoropyrimidine cardiotoxicity to understand baseline cardiovascular risk and relationship with incident events and the role of pharmacological cardioprotection
• Retrospective data analysis to determine whether the timing of echocardiography following admission with heart failure affects the risk of re-admission with heart failure and death
• A comparative study of the accuracy and reproducibility for absolute blood flow and resistance measurements in coronary heart disease
• Retrospective data analysis to identify which rhythm control option leads to better clinical outcomes (stroke, heart failure, and all-cause mortality) in the AF population in the UK and which intervention(s) is(are) more cost-effective for the whole population and specific patient groups.
• Preparatory work for a grant application to the National Institute for Health Research/British Heart Foundation that will investigate the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation in people with non-obstructive coronary artery disease.
• Pilot implementation of an AI algorithm in routinely-collected UK primary care electronic health records (EHRs). This algorithm can reduce the number of screenings needed for new atrial fibrillation cases in people ≥75 years of age to 11 whilst the national AF screening programme may prevent 10% of strokes and save the NHS £200 million per year.
• Preparatory work including some initial data collection and feedback on trial design ahead of a funding application for a registry-based Randomised Controlled Trial (R-RCT) of furosemide versus bumetanide for the treatment of patients recently hospitalised with decompensated heart failure (FAB-HF).
• Development of pragmatic methodology and intervention components ahead of a proposed multi-centre randomised controlled trial that compares patient centred ambulatory care supported by remote monitoring to usual outpatient clinic care for those with ACHD, by repurposing existing resources.
• A Cochrane Network Meta-Analysis of transcatheter versus surgical treatments of secondary MR (sMR). The project will compare evidence from randomised controlled trials to better identify sMR patient subgroups who would benefit most from the respective interventions.
• The project aims at establishing a database of cardiovascular patients using HES and linked mortality data. This database will be used to model trials in silico which in turn be used to inform funding applications for clinical trials that address priority research questions in cardiac surgery.
• A pilot study to investigate the effect of acetazolamide as a chloride-sparing diuretic in patients admitted with heart failure.
• Preparatory work for a multi-centre randomised trial application to investigate the benefits of myocardial ischemia and viability guided coronary chronic total occlusion recanlization.
• Development of a standard set of outcomes measures for South Asian people living with coronary heart disease and/or diabetes using the Delphi method.
• A scoping exercise using patients and healthcare professionals to identify how best to use digital tools to support lifestyle and behavioural changes in patients requiring cardiac surgery.
• Investigation of factors that influence progression from Phase III to Phase IV cardiac rehabilitation in underrepresented groups (females and ethnic minorities) in order to support a grant application for a multi-centre RCT to investigate interventions that influence uptake to PHASE IV cardiac rehabilitation.