CHD Research

Families are often looking to determine what research is being done.  Since many CHD conditions aren’t fully repairable, it helps to know what new discoveries are on the horizon. 

While research is taking place in many hospitals and environments around the country, we are proud to support a few projects taking place locally at the Monroe Carroll, Jr Children’s Hospital in Nashville. The advancements made in these projects have the potential to save lives everywhere, and we hope to be able to fund projects in other geographies in the future.

 

With the help of your dollars, we are making an impact.  The Brett Boyer Foundation is proud to help sponsor these studies that are making a difference now and include:

  • A study that looks at outcomes after use of prophylactic steroids for infants undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass

  • A study evaluating the risk factors in single ventricle patients who have had a Fontan

  • A study that evaluates whether exercise capacity is increased in children using a new drug that lowers pulmonary artery pressures in Fontan patients

  • A study that looks at alternative pacing therapies in kids with arrhythmias

  • A study evaluating a new drug for children with dilated hearts who have received chemotherapy and now require transplantation

  • A study looking at biomarkers in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who require cardiac transplantation

  • A study looking at transplanted heart rejection using donor heart DNA

 

We are committed to making a difference in children’s lives.  In the future, we plan to support many more trials to pave the way for healthier and happy children.  Thank you for helping us make our dreams a reality!

Other organizations funding and/or conducting research

(source: Mended Little Hearts)

The Children’s Heart Foundation  exclusively funds CHD research. At that site, families can look at what specific research projects they have funded.

The American Heart Association also funds CHD research. In fact, they are the second largest funder of CHD research after the federal government. You can read about AHA research milestones to learn more about their main accomplishments. Much of their research is for heart disease in general, but obviously, much of it still can have an impact on those living with CHD.

The Federal government is the largest funder of CHD research through the National Institutes of Health, particularly the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Much of their research funding goes to universities around the nation to fund projects they are working on.

The Joint Council on Congenital Heart Disease (JCCHD) is currently conducting a quality improvement initiative to improve survival and optimize quality of life in infants between discharge after Stage 1 Norwood and admission for Bidirectional Glenn. Many organizations have come together to work on this project in order to help children with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).