Research & Innovation | Overview
Our program is recognized for having a leading role in the creation and improvement of ventricular assist device (VADs) through research and regulatory advocacy.
We’re also constantly updating approaches to treatment and care, as well as finding new and more effective anticoagulation medication to allow families to effectively and safely manage their child’s VAD at home. Here are some examples of how we’re advancing VAD care and giving children the lives they should have.
Providing a successful bridge to transplant
Our cardiologists had a key role in designing the Berlin Heart® and conducting a multi-institutional study to demonstrate its effectiveness and safety. Our program created a new anticoagulation regimen for the Berlin Heart® that has now been adopted across North America and become the standard of care, with reduction in stroke rates from historical highs of about 30 percent to now less than 10 percent.
We were also one of the first hospitals to give pediatric patients a successful bridge to heart transplant, through the use of an Impella 5.5®.
Resuming physical activity
We’ve helped introduce advanced and durable VADs, including Heartmate 3 VAD, which let children go home and resume the activities that matter most to them. These devices give families peace of mind that their children’s heart will function during sports, school recess, and other pursuits.
Reducing the risk of stroke
We closely work with pharmaceutical companies to relay what our patients need, and we thoroughly review anticoagulant medications to ensure patients can rely on VADs that create the lowest possible risk for stroke. For example, our program was the first to use the anticoagulant Bivalirudin to reduce the rate of stroke in children who rely on the Berlin Heart® from 30 percent to 6 percent.
Researching medications that improve life
Our team is leading the way globally to examine innovative medications that improve the risk of bleeding and thrombosis on VADs by improving the hemocompatibility of these devices. We continue to strive to find medications that are not only safe and effective but are also easy to administer to children. As such, we have the most experience in VAD care of using a new class of anticoagulation medications called direct oral anticoagulant (namely Apixaban) for children who rely on HeartMate 3 VAD. We will be leading the global initiative for a national multicenter trial evaluating this approach.
Keeping children active and stronger
Our multidisciplinary team, which includes occupational and physical therapists, is examining the best ways to introduce and engage rehabilitation activities in children who have VADs. We want them to get stronger while on VAD support, so they are better suited to receive a transplant or recover with their own heart.