Paediatric Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology
Research Portfolio Summary November 2014
Leading research to improve care for children born with heart
defects in the future
As well as providing specialist care for children with complex
congenital heart defects Bristol is also home to a large team of
clinicians carrying out world class research into congenital heart
disease.
Over several decades these clinicians have built up a
well-respected research department which works closely with the
University of Bristol and academic and commercial research
establishments across the UK. In fact the close proximity of the
University means that clinicians and academics are able to work
especially closely together in Bristol, sharing expertise and
linking up the work being done in research laboratories and the
care being delivered on the wards.
Our department is one of the most research-active in the UK,
with links to the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Imperial College
London, University College London, Heidelberg, Barcelona and
California amongst others.
Our researchers are currently carrying out a range of unique
research projects in order to enhance the profession's
understanding of congenital heart diseases and drive forward
innovations in care and treatment for children born with the
condition in the future. Below we have included a short summary of
some of our most exciting projects.
Reducing damage to organs during open heart surgery -
Professor Massimo Caputo - Cardiac Surgery
When children undergo open heart surgery to repair heart
abnormalities that starve the body of oxygen, there is
unfortunately always a danger that their organs and brain could be
affected when they begin to receive their oxygen from a heart-lung
bypass machine. This is the process of replacing the heart and
lungs with a mechanical device during cardiac surgery and plays an
essential part in the operation.
Research carried out by our unit in conjunction with the Bristol
Heart Institute last year found that by controlling the amount of
oxygen a child receives at the beginning of surgery, the impact on
the body's organs is reduced. We are now looking at ways of
improving the heart function during heart surgery in order to
reduce the time a patient spends recovering on the intensive care
unit.
More information about this research can be found here:
http://www.jtcvsonline.org/article/S0022-5223(14)00723-5/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3524652/
Improving treatments for Pulmonary Hypertension -
Professor Robert Tulloh - Cardiology
Pulmonary Hypertension (high lung artery pressure) is a rare
disease that can affect children who are born with structural heart
problems. The disease leads to extra stress being placed on the
right pumping chamber (right ventricle) and whilst some people can
cope with this others cannot. At the moment, there are no medicines
to help such patients with the pumping function of the right
ventricle. Using the laboratory based research and also with the
help of children and adults with Pulmonary Hypertension, we are
studying the muscles and genes and hope to be able to produce
customised therapies in the next few years.
More information about this research can be found here:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/111/4/435.long
http://ejcts.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/04/30/ejcts.ezu170.short
Improving the understanding of Kawasaki Disease -
Professor Robert Tulloh
As a rare condition that can affect the hearts of small babies
after an infection, we are running a national survey to learn more
about this condition to learn about this disease for the first time
- the first time this has been attempted. We are studying how
different genes lead to different complications in young children
which can result in damage to their coronary arteries and lead to
long-term consequences. By improving our understanding of how the
disease works in this way we hope to improve treatment of the
disease for children in the future.
More information about this research can be found here:
http://adc.bmj.com/content/99/1/74.full.html
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0074529
New ways to treat Hypertension - Professor Andy Wolf -
Anaesthesia
High blood pressure commonly affects adults, but it can also
start in young children. Our researchers are looking at ways of
measuring this more accurately and new ways to treat it in
children. This work will lead to long term benefits in our adult
population and may prevent some of the damage that high blood
pressure can cause.
More information about this research can be found here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21835303
The
role of genes and development of heart disease - Professor Ruth
Newbury-Ecob
Our genetic make-up plays an important role in determining how
our bodies react to different conditions, including how we develop
diseases that affect the heart and lungs. Understanding the role
genes play is fundamental to finding cures or treatments for
congenital heart disease in the future. We have discovered new
genes which control the way that the heart and lungs work in the
body in health and disease.
More information about this research can be found here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25258084
