Summary
Rockhampton Hospital’s Cardiology Service is transforming care through its first clinical trial into heart failure prevention.
Director of Cardiology Dr Sam Sidharta says for the first time, suitable Central Queenslanders have access to an international randomised Cardiology clinical trial, as Rockhampton is the only regional Queensland site among the projected 850 locations across 35 countries.
“It makes sense that our patients have access to this trial,” Dr Sidharta said. “National Heart Foundation statistics show that Central Queensland is the blood pressure capital of Australia.” High blood pressure has been associated with up to 90% of new heart failure cases. Central Queensland also has high obesity and smoking rates, is in the top 7 least active populations across the country, and in the top 4 heart attack hot spots in Queensland.
This clinical trial is for people living with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
Dr Sidharta says these people are more likely to develop heart failure - a heart condition where the heart does not pump blood around the body as well as it should. The trial is looking into whether a potential new combination of treatments can help reduce the chance of developing heart failure. “The mission is to prioritise finding treatments that may help prevent heart failure.”
Recruiting is under way for between 16 and 20 suitable participants. They will take two tablets once a day and will attend approximately 15 clinic appointments over the period of the study, which is expected to be about three years.
Dr Sidharta says that, while Central Queensland patients are the big winners in this trial, it’s also a huge benefit when it comes to the recruitment and retention of highly skilled clinicians to the region.
“By participating in research and clinical trials, we demonstrate that we are able to offer staff the opportunity and access to further training and education as well as enhancing their career progression, and that is very attractive for clinicians,” he said. “Clinical trials are also strongly linked with good clinical practice.”
Dr Sidharta is excited about the future of the Cardiology Unit at Rockhampton.
“We’re building our Cardiac Hybrid Theatre which will be an absolute game-change for our patients, but we also hope that by the time this service commences later this year, we would be able to incorporate a strong research culture within the department to deliver a high quality service for our patients.
“At the end of the day, the people who will benefit the most will be our patients.”