Our Research
Heart failure is usually a consequence of other cardiovascular diseases. As a result, patients with heart failure are often older and commonly have other medical conditions alongside their heart disease. Although major advances have been made in understanding and treating heart failure, large groups of patients have been excluded from clinical trials. In addition, the oldest and most medically complex patients are often underrepresented in national registries and research studies.
Our goal is to better reflect the realities of everyday clinical practice. We aim to improve our understanding of how patients with heart failure, including those of advanced age and with multiple comorbidities, respond to commonly used treatments, how hospital readmissions can be predicted and prevented, and how cardiovascular disease progresses over time. Particular attention is given to kidney disease, one of the most common and clinically important comorbidities in heart failure, which often complicates treatment decisions and patient management.
Our research includes
- Epidemiological studies, where large population registries and laboratory databases are linked to investigate the interaction between heart failure and kidney disease, and how impaired kidney function influences heart failure treatment.
- Biomarker studies, using samples collected both from patients with newly diagnosed heart failure and from population-based biobanks where samples were obtained years before disease onset, allowing us to identify factors associated with the development of heart failure.
- Clinical trials in patient groups where evidence is lacking, with a special focus on patients with combined heart and kidney disease who have been excluded from many previous studies.
- Ultrasound studies aimed at predicting clinical deterioration and guiding treatment following hospitalisation for acute heart failure.