Take part in heart research
There are several ways to take part in heart research and it can be very rewarding. It gives you a chance to help others, as well as getting specialist care yourself for the duration of the trial. Many of our patients are sorry when a trial comes to and end, and frequently sign up to do another one if they fit the criteria!
Academic Projects
There are several ways you can take part in heart research. We currently have two research fellows working in our department, who have the opportunity to carry out their MD projects. One of our projects is the SECURE trial (SECURE Trial), while the other is RUFUS-Heart, which is being run in conjunction with the Department of medical engineering at Imperial College, London and is researching the use of Ultrafast Ultrasound in imaging the heart.
Want to take part in heart research in Harrow?
Our projects and trials are listed below. If you would like to volunteer for a trial or find out more information, please click on the ‘Find out how to volunteer’ button, You can also drop us an email or use the contact form on our Get in Touch page.
Ethical Approval
No research can take place in the hospital with out it going through a review process. To start a project you need approval from the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) and the Health Research Authority (HRA). You also need permission from the Research and Development Department in the NHS Trust. Medicine trials also need approval from the MHRA. Trials that use any radiation such as CT scans, x-rays or angiograms, also need special permission.
All our staff undertake Good Clinical Practice training to ensure that the research is carried to the highest standard. We always have the patient’s best interests at heart.
Many of our patients enjoy taking part in research and have taken part in several different projects over the years.
I would though, like to take this opportunity to praise the staff that I came into contact with during my involvement in the Cardiac Trials. During my time on the trials, I was treated with nothing but respect, kindness, care and good humour. I was always given the fullest of information before taking part, and then treated with the utmost care and consideration at all times.
UK HFpEF
We are really excited to be able to offer our patients with known heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) the chance to take part in this simple study. This is a UK wide study, funded by the British Heart Foundation and will be running until 2029. The study is aiming to improve the quality of life and outcomes for patients with HFpEF by helping us to understand more about the health of patients already diagnosed with the condition. If you agree to take part, we would arrange to see you on a day you were already at the hospital, and you will have a few basic measurements taken, like your blood pressure and some questionniares, followed by a quick blood test. There is no follow-up for the study, so you will just have a one-off visit of around 45 minutes.
If you are a LNWH patient with this heart condition interested in taking part in this study we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch by clicking the button below.
AURORA
We have just started inviting patients with heart failure into this study.
This is an early phase research studies (Phase II), looking at a new medication to see if it is effective at improving the health status of people with heart failure. Patients might be taking a new study medication or placebo.
Patients will be part of the study for about 24 weeks, coming for study visits with the cardiac research team on 8 occassions during that time. The team will check your health status at each visit and make sure your usual medications are at the best doses for your heart health.
If you have been diagnosed with heart failure and would be interested in finding out more about this study and potentially taking part please contact us on the link below.
PROTECT-HF
This study is sponsored by Imperial College London and is funded by the British Heart Foundation. It is looking at patients who have a pacemaker and a slow heart rate. Patients who devide to take part in the study, will be randomlly allocated to receive one of two possible pacing methods when they come in for their usual pacemaker appointment.
If you are a LNWH patient with a pacemaker, the team may get in touch with you before your appointment to discuss the study in more detail and see if you would be interested in taking part.
iCorMICA
This study is looking at patients who are experiencing chest pain (angina) and who have been referred for a procedure (coronary angiogram) to look at the heart and see if there are any blockages in the heart arteries. If patients are not found to have blocked arteries, they may be invited to take part in the study.
4000 patients around the UK are taking part in the registry and 1500 patients are taking part in the main study.
If you do decide to take part, you will be asked to complete some questonnaires on the day of your angiogram, and then receive follow-up phone calls from the team every few months for up to 1 year.
You cannot volunteer to take part in this study, but our team will speak to you on the day of your procedure if they think you might be suitable to see if you would be interested in taking part.
VISION-PE Registry
To take part in this study doesn’t involve taking any new tablets or coming back into the hospital for any research visits.
If you are coming into Northwick Park Hospital with a Pulmonary Embolism (PE) and your Doctor decides to use a FlowTriever device as part of your usual care, we will ask you if you would be happy for us to collect data from your medical record and receive 2 phonecalls after you leave hospital.
You cannot volunteer for this study, but we will come and find you in the hospital if we think you might be able to take part.
RUFUS – heart
We have now started recruiting into this exciting trial! This high frame rate project is being run with the department of biomedical engineering at Imperial College London. Eligible patients are those who have has a stress echocardiogram which was positive. As a result of this, they have been referred for an angiogram. The study lasts one day and you will have a series of scans to look at the heart. These will be both at normal ultrasound frequency and high ultrasound frequency. If this pilot study is successful, we will be looking to undertake a larger trial.
Covid – Echo
The final analysis is now being carried out on this data and we are really grateful for those that have taken part. We hope to have published the results soon, and when we have we will put the link here for those that are interested.
HORIZON
This study is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. It is looking at a new treatment for people who have a raised level of a particle found in the blood called lipoprotein (a). Raised levels of this particle is thought to increase your risk of hardening of the arteries. Having an increased level of this is genetic, rather than anything to do with your lifestyle.
People who already have heart disease are being asked to take part in this study. They will be eligible if a blood test shows that they have increased amounts of Lp(a). The study will last about 4 years and during that time you will regular be seen by the cardiologist and specialised research practitioner as part of your care.
Recruitment has now ended for this study and those taking part continue to be followed up.
Future studies
We have several studies in set up at the moment. They will be looking at conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease and heart imaging. If you are interested in finding out more or taking part in any of our research studies please contact us on the link below.