In his experience, CANet Patient Partner Hugh Winsor believes that patients need to combine their own lived experiences with a wider understanding of the cardiology and science involved in the proposed investigation. Only then can patients fairly assess the potential patient benefit from any proposed study.

The Montreal Heart Institute leads a Pan-Canadian alliance aimed to improve health outcomes for Canadians living with Heart Failure MAY 3, 2022 (MONTREAL, QC) – As the National Heart Failure Awareness Week begins, the Montreal Heart Institute announces the creation of the Canadian Heart Function Alliance (CHF Alliance) Network. Uniting an extensive network of researchers, cardiologists, patients, caregivers, Indigenous elders, policymakers and supporting organizations across the country, this pan-Canadian alliance aims to tackle the challenges of heart failure – a common condition that is often fatal, and on the rise in Canada. The CHF Alliance spans eight provinces and one territory and involves 11 patient/caregiver partners; 13 Indigenous partners; and 132 investigators (42% women; two dozen early-career investigators) all collaborating on 23 research projects. The CHF Alliance was made possible thanks to $5 million in support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Mitacs, and the National Institute of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. To complement this investment, the CHF Alliance has already attracted matching funds (cash and in-kind) of more than $27 million. Additional CHF Alliance partners include the HeartLife Foundation; the Canadian Cardiovascular Society; the...

Early this year, a giant of Canadian electrophysiology, Dr. George Wyse, passed away peacefully at his Canmore home in Alberta, Canada. “Dr. Wyse is a pioneer in heart rhythm research and care in Canada,” says Dr. Anthony Tang, CEO and Scientific Director, CANet, continuing, “He was always very generous with his time and energy helping all of us to succeed. Even when he was not physically well, he continued to offer advice and mentorship to all of us voluntarily. He is very much missed already in our community.” Dr. Wyse was pivotal in shaping the foundation of CANet. He also played a key part as an internal reviewer for both the original and renewal CANet applications to the Networks of Centres of Excellence – both leading to success. As a member of CANet’s Research Management Committee (RMC), Dr. Wyse helped formulate the Network’s strategic plan, including reviewing the Network’s 50+ research projects to ensure that they maintained a high level of excellence expected of Canadian arrhythmia research.  He was a mentor on multiple projects, giving essential advice and direction. Dr. Katherine Allan, Research Associate for Canadian Sudden Cardiac Arrest Network (C-SCAN) — a collaboration between CANet and the Canadian Resuscitation...

Dr. Anthony Tang envisions a not-so-distant future where sensors, voice recognition, cloud-computing and data analytics are a routine part of our health care experience. “The grand vision is that we can make a diagnosis, follow a patient’s progress and allow management to occur wherever they are,” said Tang. “This is about empowering patients in their own health care.” As the Scientific Director and CEO of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet) housed at Western University, Tang is focused on innovative solutions to help patients manage complex medical conditions. Collaborating with investigators across the country, CANet is leading the expansion, testing and clinical integration of a digital health platform called VIRTUES (Virtual Integrated Reliable Transformative User-Driven E-health System). VIRTUES delivers efficient, effective and accessible health care, on-demand and tailored to the specific needs of each patient. It provides patients with a patient-owned, cloud-based solution that integrates symptoms, remote monitoring data, and historic health data. VIRTUES outputs the integrated data into personalized recommendations for the management of complex conditions. The platform is a centralized and highly versatile digital health solution which can accommodate a variety of complex conditions and patient populations. Importantly, VIRTUES is not a telehealth tool or app; it is a disruptive innovation...

About 10 per cent of heart attack survivors are left with pump dysfunction caused by scar tissue, leaving them at a higher risk of heart failure, which impacts about 600,000 Canadians. Heart failure has a negative impact on quality of life and can lead to cardiac arrest, which is estimated to cause half of the deaths from heart disease in North America.  Pump function often improves within the six months following a heart attack, but if it doesn’t — and the damage is severe enough — patients may need more intense treatment, such as an implanted cardiac defibrillator, which helps identify and treat the heart rhythms that cause cardiac arrest.  Guidelines recommend patients receive a followup echocardiogram, or ‘echo’, a special ultrasound test that measures heart function, three to six months after a heart attack to assess their risk. But a recent national study, co-led by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s Dr. Stephen Wilton, MD, found that about one-third of patients don’t have the recommended followup.  “When we asked patients why they did or didn’t have a followup echo, the most common reason was that it wasn’t ordered,” says Wilton, an associate professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University...

“Patient care has motivated me to become what I am today,” says Daniel Gelman, CEO of Aufero Medical. That passion and belief have guided the electrical and biomedical engineer over the past seven years to pioneer a device to help treat the most common and clinically significant form of heart arrhythmia – atrial fibrillation. Aufero Medical’s technology stabilizes the point of contact between a catheter – the medical device used to treat arrhythmia – and inside of the heart wall. “I truly believe that our technology is going to impact patient lives significantly,” he says. Heart chambers, called atria, generate electrical signals that eventually produce heartbeats. Diseased atria may result in rapid, irregular heartbeats known as atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with AF have an increased risk of stroke and often complain of chest pain, shortness of breath, light-headedness, and palpitations. Doctors typically treat AF by inserting a thin, long and flexible device (catheter) into the heart and deliver high-energy radiofrequency waves to burn (ablate) the diseased tissues. The method is not always successful.  Gelman noticed a problem around 2014-2015 during his Ph.D. studies. “During ablation procedures, it was challenging for physicians to maintain stable contact between the catheter tip and moving heart wall,”...

Canada’s medical technology firms are celebrated worldwide for advances that improve health outcomes and increase the efficiency of healthcare systems. These companies benefit from a network of federal and provincial programs that support research, development and innovation in the area of therapeutic products. Research networks foster the collaboration needed to conceive of and refine fresh ideas, while Canada’s regulatory process, aligned with global standards, facilitates access to global markets. Investors recognize these advantages and do their part to support the innovation cycle. The cycle is particularly strong in the sub‑sector of surgical technologies. Two firms, Baylis Medical Company and Intellijoint Surgical, succeed in a growing number of international markets thanks to a shared commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, with help from the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS). Baylis Medical Headquartered in Montréal, Quebec, Baylis Medical is one of Canada’s largest manufacturers and developers of medical devices. International sales account for the majority of Baylis’ revenues, as with most Canadian companies in the sector. “On its own, the Canadian market isn’t big enough to offset the costs of developing advanced medical technologies,” says Laura Conquergood, Baylis’ Vice President of Operations. “Our success is based on developing products that improve health outcomes and add value to health systems worldwide.” Laura Conquergood, Baylis’ Vice President of Operations...

Health care workers around the world have risen to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with creative solutions, from 3D-printing face shields, ventilator parts and nasopharyngeal swabs, to repurposing home breathing machines as makeshift ventilators. Physicians and researchers in Canada are adapting health technologies to triage and monitor patients with COVID-19, too. When the pandemic hit, Dr. Anthony Tang of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada was working on an e-health platform for patients with arrhythmias, including those with implantable cardiac devices. Patients with these devices require regular follow-up, and the platform, called VIRTUES, allows them to monitor how their device is functioning and other health information. With the pandemic delaying a randomized controlled trial of the platform, Tang says he couldn’t “waste time doing nothing.” So, he and his colleagues adapted the technology to monitor patients with COVID-19 who are isolating at home. Patients can use an app to log their symptoms, including oxygen saturation and pulse rate, and communicate with their care team to avoid unnecessary visits to emergency departments and clinics. Meanwhile, clinicians can review trends in their patients’ recoveries to help identify those that may require hospitalization. London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario launched a pilot...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a progressive, irregular and often rapid heart rate that increases the risk of stroke, and heart failure. The most common type of heart arrhythmia, AF affects about 200,000 Canadians. Symptoms include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue. For some, AF can also be asymptomatic. The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation estimates a quarter of all strokes for those over the age of 40 are caused by AF. Although AF can’t be cured, it can often be managed with medication or ablation — a minimally invasive procedure involving strategically scarring the heart to stop the abnormal electrical signals causing the issues with the heartbeat. Medication and different types of ablation have been used to manage AF for the last two decades, but there are questions as to which is best as an initial treatment. Dr. Carlos Morillo, MD, a cardiologist and researcher at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and specialist in the electrical system of heart, is trying to answer those questions. He is co-investigator of a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The national, multi-centre study looked at whether it is better to treat early (paroxysmal) AF, which is...

A ground-breaking B.C.-led study will change how atrial fibrillation – a common heart rhythm problem – is treated in the province. After five years of rigorous research, learn how this new study will help improve quality of life for cardiac patients. ​For some people, atrial fibrillation feels like you have a fish flopping in your chest. For others, this common heart rhythm problem feels like a fast, pounding heartbeat, a tight chest, dizziness, weakness or anxiety. Some might not feel anything at all. Although people’s experiences are very different, the underlying health risks of atrial fibrillation remain the same, and include reduced quality of life, and increased risk of stroke or heart failure. Now, we have new evidence for how to better treat atrial fibrillation early, safely and effectively, thanks to findings from a recent B.C.-based study led by Jason Andrade, Cardiac Services BC’s medical chair, B.C. Cardiovascular Disease Network for heart rhythm disease.  To mark Heart Month in February, learn more about the links between clinical research and health system excellence. Providing a more complete picture of cardiac care When this study started in 2015, there wasn’t clear evidence on how catheter ablation compared to medications as an initial treatment for atrial...