Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute Research

Latest Research:
Re-admissions for Congestive Heart Failure

With a focus on re-admissions for congestive heart failure, we began participation in several heart failure studies. One is a registry evaluating two heart failure quality improvement initiatives compared with usual care on heart failure outcomes in the year following discharge. Baptist Hospital was randomized to the direct health system engagement strategy which involves national faculty mentorship and regional multidisciplinary teams to help design and improve our quality improvement plans.

Another congestive heart failure study is determining the efficacy and safety of IV iron therapy relative to placebo in the treatment of participants in heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction and iron deficiency. Epidemiological studies in heart failure suggest a 50% prevalence of iron deficiency that increases with the severity of heart failure. This may be due to insufficient dietary iron, poor iron absorption, gastrointestinal blood loss, chronic disease and repeated blood sampling. Studies completed in Europe showed an improvement in the 6 minute hall walk distance after 52 weeks of intravenous iron therapy. There was also improvement seen in NYHA functional class and fatigue.

If you would like further information about our research program, please call  850-484-6690.