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Cardiovascular Info. American Heart Association Brigham and Women's CV Services Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery Cardiac Diseases & Conditions Dept. of Healthcare Policy and Harvard Medical School Society of Thoracic Surgeons Warning signs for heart attack and stroke Cardiologists Adnan Naber David Urbach Jennifer Ladner John Guerin John Hostetter Lawrence McAuliffe Luke Daley Mark Wolfe Michael Mecley Richard Zelman More

Cardiac research on the Cape - a push forward.
Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals are, first and foremost places of healing. Over the years, though, they have often played a part in advancing the science of medicine through research and clinical trials in oncology and in cardiology. Involvement in cardiac studies has been especially prominent in recent years, with doctors at both hospitals working to make sure cardiovascular medi­cine on the Cape remains onthe cutting edge.

“Involvement in research provides a number of benefits to the community,” said Lynn Shields, R.N. and Director of Research Compliance for Cape Cod Healthcare. “It gives patients access to medical treatments that normally would not be available on the Cape. It also keeps our staff engaged with the latest trends in their fields.”

One of the most important studies undertaken on the Cape was the C-Port Trial, which took place at Cape Cod Hospital beginning in 1997. This trial examined the safety of performing emergency angioplasty for heart attack victims at a community hospital without an open heart surgery program. More patients were enrolled in this clinical trial at Cape Cod than at any other participating site, and it proved the life-saving benefit and safety of emergency angioplasty in the community hospital setting. This study also demonstrated to the Massachusetts Department of Health that this procedure was safe, which led to approval for emergency angioplasty at Cape Cod Hospital, and eventually to the creation of an elective angioplasty program.

“The C-Port Trial was an important step in increasing the range of cardiac procedures performed on the Cape,” said Richard Zelman, M.D., who heads the cardiac research efforts. He added, “Our trials give us certain competencies that we wouldn’t have otherwise, and more experience that we can use in our treatments.”

Other recent studies have examined potentially new uses for approved drugs, advances in medical devices to prevent strokes or minimize damage from heart attacks, and new techniques to protect the heart after a surgical procedure. The increased focus in research has lead to the creation of the not-for-profit Cape Cod Research Institute, to further advance local involvement in the most current cardiac studies. “We are committed to our research efforts,” said Dr. Zelman. “We’ve recognized the importance of doing cardiac research in our own environment.”