Clinical Research

In recent years, the St. Boniface Hospital Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) clinic has been established as a participating center in a number of clinical trials. As the Heart Failure Clinic patient population and infrastructure continues to expand, we anticipate increasing involvement in Phase 2-4 clinical trials. Medical device studies for cardiac resynchronization therapy and heart failure related devices are also underway. Further studies have been proposed in the end-stage heart failure patient population and involving nutraceutical agents. Local cardiac transplant patients are now participating in their first national multicenter trial exploring biomarkers in cardiac transplant.

The St. Boniface Hospital CHF Clinic is now a formal member of the Canadian Congestive Heart Failure Clinics Network Database. The database will provide the opportunity to perform and publish local research on Manitobans with heart failure, contribute to national research on heart failure outcomes and serve as a comparative tool for assessment of local treatment benchmarks and outcomes. The database software also serves as a proficient clinical tool and will increase the efficiency of the heart failure clinic. The implementation of the local database will result in improved clinical outcomes for Manitobans with heart failure. The Cardiac Sciences Heart Failure Clinic was recently recognized as the top enrolling center in Canada in the national database program.

Currently the Heart Failure Clinic is working in collaboration with Primary Care representatives of the WRHA for future studies and program implementation of a telemonitoring protocol. This protocol will be a unique model for Canada as it will include the family physician in the communication pathway to facilitate reassessment in the Heart Failure Clinic in a “revolving door” model when specific benchmarks are reached or require reassessment.

At the present time over 130 heart failure clinic patients are participating in a prospective cardiorenal study designed and originated at the University of Manitoba. The study has received grant funding from the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation and the University Research Grants Program. Dr. Zieroth and Dr. Manish Sood of the Section of Nephrology are co-investigators in this endeavor to find new biomarkers establishing the diagnosis and progression of cardiorenal syndrome.