American Heart Association Launches Initiative to Accelerate Aortic Stenosis Diagnosis and Clinical Trial Access
The American Heart Association has launched a new initiative to improve early diagnosis of aortic stenosis and increase participation in clinical trials, potentially transforming care for this serious heart condition that often goes undiagnosed until advanced stages.
The American Heart Association has launched a new effort to support earlier diagnosis and treatment of aortic stenosis, a common but underdiagnosed heart valve condition that can lead to severe complications including heart failure and death if left untreated. This initiative aims to boost clinical trial participation and speed diagnosis through the Association's nationwide network of hospitals and heart valve clinics.
Aortic stenosis is characterized by the narrowing of the aortic valve opening, which restricts blood flow from the heart to the body. According to Sreekanth Vemulapalli, M.D., the Association's volunteer project clinical leader, "Aortic stenosis is a serious condition, yet too often, people go undiagnosed until the disease progresses. By identifying eligible participants for new clinical trials and supporting clinical research, this initiative will help shape the future of care for people affected by this disease."
The initiative leverages the established infrastructure of the Association's Target: Aortic Stenosis™ program, which already manages more than 2,200 people with moderate aortic stenosis through its existing quality improvement network. This new effort will engage at least 40 hospitals and their affiliated heart valve clinics to connect more individuals with research opportunities, promoting emerging medical therapy alternatives and advancing guideline-based care.
Supported by Kardigan, the initiative represents a significant step toward revolutionizing cardiovascular disease treatment. Jay Edelberg, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and chief medical officer at Kardigan, stated, "We're proud to support this American Heart Association initiative to help connect patients with moderate aortic stenosis to promising research opportunities. At Kardigan, we are on a mission to revolutionize the treatment of cardiovascular diseases by moving beyond symptom management and redefining care where patients and their families need it most and where therapies don't currently exist."
As part of this comprehensive approach, the Association will provide professional education, quality improvement tools and site-level support to help clinicians better identify and refer individuals eligible for clinical trials. A health care provider climate survey will also explore barriers to trial enrollment and inform solutions that increase participation in structural heart disease research. The Target: Aortic Stenosis™ program receives additional support from Edwards Lifesciences, further strengthening the collaborative effort to transform aortic stenosis care through earlier intervention and expanded research participation.