The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre

Tuesday, May 21st

Research

The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre is a driver of cardiovascular and thoracic research across the region, and is developing as an internationally recognised research unit.

research

The ECTC is committed to delivering scientifically important, translational research that benefits patients. Built on a foundation to provide world class patient care, the Centre includes 30 research-active clinicians in research programmes across

Interventional Cardiology
Cardiac and Electrophysiololgy
Cardiac and thoracic surgery
Perfusion
Anaesthetics

As an active partner in the Essex & Hertfordshire Comprehensive Local Research Network (CLRN) and our local Health Innovation & Education Cluster (HIEC), the Centre supports a number of research projects at any one time. These projects include

Cardiology

PALLAS, is led by Dr R Aggarwal (Consultant Cardiologist, Clinical Director). This study investigates the effect of Dronedarone (anti-arrhythmic medicine) on people with permanent atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).

ALECARDIO, also led by Dr R Aggarwal looks at the effect of the drug Aleglitazar in type II diabetes patients who have had a recent serious cardiovascular event.

CLARITY's national Chief Investigator is Dr Stuart Harris (Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist). This study compares two different types of technology used in treating paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (episodes of irregular heart rate).

DAPT, led by Dr P Kelly (Consultant Cardiologist), assesses the effectiveness of 12 versus 30 months of therapy with 2 blood thinning medicines following percutaneous coronary intervention (technique used to open the blockage in one's heart artery which causes cardiac pain).

PROTECT, also led by Dr P Kelly, compares the use of two different types of cardiac stent , in patients with one or more narrowed arteries and complex lesions in the coronary arteries.

ERIC-STEMI, is led by Dr J Davies (Consultant Cardiologist), examines the protective effects of remote ischaemic postconditioning, a special intervention in which the forearm is made ischaemic (deprived of oxygen and nutrients) using a blood pressure cuff applied to the upper arm.

ERIC-PCI, also led by Dr J Davies (Consultant Cardiologist), assesses the benefits of a new concept called remote ischaemic postconditioning in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (technique used to open the blockage in one's heart artery which causes cardiac pain). It intends to show that the application of transient forearm ischaemia (through the inflation of a blood pressure cuff on the arm) may protect the heart during the procedure.

DELIVER, led by Dr J Sayer, assess how easy doctors feel a specific coronary stent is to insert and use in patients who are undergoing a standard primary coronary intervention treatment.

Cardiovascular and thoracic surgery

CORONARY, is led by Mr A Ritchie (Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon), and compares two different ways of doing coronary artery bypass graft surgery- an operation performed to bypass an area of narrowing in a heart vessel. In half of the patients a heart-lung machine is used whilst the heart is stopped and in the other half the surgery is performed on a working heart.

ERICCA, also led by Mr A Ritchie, tests test whether a simple procedure, the application of a blood pressure cuff to the arm before heart surgery (remote ischaemic preconditioning), can help protect the heart and improve recovery.

TITRE2, also led by Mr A Ritchie, compares two different thresholds for blood transfusion during and after cardiac surgery.

MESOVATS, a thoracic study lead by Mr A Ritchie, compares two surgical procedures; talc pleurodesis or video-assisted thoracoscopic cytoreductive, to see which gives the best long term survival for patients with mesothelioma (a type of lung cancer).

PULMICC is a cancer research study lead by Mr A Ritchie. This study involves patients with bowl cancer who have developed an isolated lung metastasis this feasibility study is to determine if, in cases of treatment doubt, whether a pulmonary metastasectomy (surgical removal of part of the lung) would be beneficial to patients.

Anaesthetics

ATACUS is led by Dr A Pai, and examines whether aspirin and/or tranexamic acid reduces patient morbidity or mortality following coronary heart bypass surgery.

TEA trial, is also developed by Dr Pai, and will determine which of two different pain relief systems (thoracic epidural analgesia or thoracic paravertebral block) provides better patient reported pain relief for patients undergoing thoracic surgery

With our excellent facilities, infrastructure and strong collaborations with international groups The ECTC is committed to supporting patients and learning more about their conditions.