title: The Alberta Heart Failure Etiology and Analysis Research Team (HEART) study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nationally, symptomatic heart failure affects 1.5-2% of Canadians, incurs $3 billion in hospital costs annually and the global burden is expected to double in the next 1-2 decades. The current one-year mortality rate after diagnosis of heart failure remains high at >25%. Consequently, new therapeutic strategies need to be developed for this debilitating condition.
  
  
  METHODS
  The objective of the Alberta HEART program (http://albertaheartresearch.ca) is to develop novel diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic approaches to patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. We hypothesize that novel imaging techniques and biomarkers will aid in describing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Furthermore, the development of new diagnostic criteria will allow us to: 1) better define risk factors associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; 2) elucidate clinical, cellular and molecular mechanisms involved with the development and progression of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; 3) design and test new therapeutic strategies for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Additionally, Alberta HEART provides training and education for enhancing translational medicine, knowledge translation and clinical practice in heart failure. This is a prospective observational cohort study of patients with, or at risk for, heart failure. Patients will have sequential testing including quality of life and clinical outcomes over 12 months. After that time, study participants will be passively followed via linkage to external administrative databases. Clinical outcomes of interest include death, hospitalization, emergency department visits, physician resource use and/or heart transplant. Patients will be followed for a total of 5 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alberta HEART has the primary objective to define new diagnostic criteria for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. New criteria will allow for targeted therapies, diagnostic tests and further understanding of the patients, both at-risk for and with heart failure.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02052804.
authors: Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, 2C2 WMC, 8440-112 Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada. jae2@ualberta.ca.
authors: Justin A
authors: JA
authors: Ezekowitz
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Becher
authors: Israel
authors: I
authors: Belenkie
authors: Alexander M
authors: AM
authors: Clark
authors: Henry J
authors: HJ
authors: Duff
authors: Matthias G
authors: MG
authors: Friedrich
authors: Mark J
authors: MJ
authors: Haykowsky
authors: Jonathan G
authors: JG
authors: Howlett
authors: Zamaneh
authors: Z
authors: Kassiri
authors: Padma
authors: P
authors: Kaul
authors: Daniel H
authors: DH
authors: Kim
authors: Merril L
authors: ML
authors: Knudtson
authors: Peter E
authors: PE
authors: Light
authors: Gary D
authors: GD
authors: Lopaschuk
authors: Finlay A
authors: FA
authors: McAlister
authors: Michelle L
authors: ML
authors: Noga
authors: Gavin Y
authors: GY
authors: Oudit
authors: D Ian
authors: DI
authors: Paterson
authors: Hude
authors: H
authors: Quan
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Schulz
authors: Richard B
authors: RB
authors: Thompson
authors: Sarah G
authors: SG
authors: Weeks
authors: Todd J
authors: TJ
authors: Anderson
authors: Jason R B
authors: JR
authors: Dyck
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers