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Heart Disease:
Since that celebrated January day in 1968 when the late Stanford cardiovascular surgeon Norman Shumway, MD, PhD and his team performed the first human heart transplant in the United States, Stanford University Medical Center has remained one of the nation's pioneers in the effort to understand and reverse heart disease. Today Stanford heart surgeons provide scores of patients with a second chance for a healthier life.
Keeping an open heart
To someone who has just received a heart transplant, the future suddenly looks a lot brighter. Yet within five years of receiving a new heart, half of all transplant patients develop atherosclerosis — the narrowing of the arteries due to accumulated plaque. And their chances for long-term survival are significantly diminished.
Thanks to Stanford physicians and scientists, we now know the likely culprit is a common virus. Hannah Valantine, MD, professor of cardiovascular medicine and director of the Post-Transplant Clinical Research Program, together with a multidisciplinary team made up of microbiologists and immunologists, is working to understand how cytomegalovirus (CMV) leads to heart disease. In one study they found that the anti-viral drug ganciclovir prevented the serious illnesses caused by CMV, giving heart transplant patients a better chance to thrive.
A new generation of Stanford cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons now wants to know: What if we could do even more? What if we could detect heart disease before it threatens the body's most powerful muscle? What if, instead of resorting to traumatic surgical procedures, we could prevent heart disease entirely?
Sobering Statistics
Nearly 1 million Americans die each year from heart disease, close to 40 percent of all deaths in the United States. In the U.S. alone, 5 million people suffer from impaired heart function. And heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women in whom the diagnosis is often missed.
A New Approach
More than 200 faculty in disciplines ranging from biochemistry to biomedical engineering, from cardiology to radiology are members of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. Together we are working to isolate the genetic, cellular, and molecular factors that contribute to heart disease, to identify the environmental and lifestyle factors that play key roles, and to develop the promising new tools and technologies that will enable us to better diagnose and treat heart disease. We are committed to translating new knowledge into new therapies as quickly as possible and to training the world's future leaders in cardiovascular care and research. Our clinical and research objectives are focused on:
Creating More Effective Treatments
We are seeking to understand the fundamental causes of congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, and pulmonary hypertension and to translate what we learn into better therapies and more powerful preventive measures. A multidisciplinary approach gives us an important edge: By working with our colleagues in bioengineering, we are constructing noninvasive devices and technologies to repair damaged arteries and hearts; by collaborating with stem cell experts we are trying to teach the heart to repair itself; and by working with geneticists we hope to identify and protect those people most at risk for heart disease.
Delivering Excellent Patient Care
At Stanford Hospital & Clinics, numerous clinical trials are underway in such key areas as interventional cardiology, heart failure, clinical electrophysiology, and disease prevention — promising even more effective therapies soon. In order to expand our clinical trials program and allow us to serve more patients, our plans include renovation and expansion of our clinical facilities.
Reaching out for Prevention
The best way to control heart disease is to not give it a chance to develop. Our studies have shown a correlation between the risk of heart disease and diet, activity, and weight, and have influenced national guidelines for assessing these factors. Now we are looking at the genetic roots of heart disease to tailor preventive treatments for the people who will benefit the most.
A Promising Future
U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Stanford's cardiac services among the Top 10 in the United States and No. 1 in the West. This is a standing we are proud of, but not one we ever take for granted. Our goal, to improve the way we treat heart disease until the day we can eliminate it entirely, inspires our research endeavor and fuels our desire to win the war against this long-time foe.
