Cardiovascular Disease

Heart and circulatory diseases are a major cause of deaths in the UK, leading to over a quarter of deaths of known causes. Although there has been a major improvement in the treatment and understanding of cardiovascular disease in recent decades, today statistics show that:

460 people die as a result of cardiovascular disease in the UK each day.
540 hospital visits each day as a result of a heart attack.
Over seven million are living with cardiovascular disease in the UK.
The cost to the NHS equates to £16,000 per minute or £9 billion per year.

These figures show the scale of the challenges cardiovascular disease poses yet research has resulted in :

Improved clot-busting drugs to treat heart attack patients, increasing survival by 70 per cent.
Transforming treatments for cholesterol levels, significantly decreasing people's risk of heart disease.
The discovery of genes linked to heart disease.
Better understanding of the mechanisms that can cause ‘sudden death’.
Supporting the trial of new medical devices to improve outcomes for patients.

We know there is still work to do, which is why the NIHR has invested in support for cardiovascular research across our region.

The NIHR is pleased to offer the opportunity to take part in a range research trials of covering:

Heart failure.
Arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation.
Coronary heart disease.
Lipid management and the effect on cardiovascular outcomes.
Hypertension management.
Acute coronary syndrome.
Cardiac surgery.
Prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Studies include:

Trialling new medications / treatments and comparing them to current practice.
Long term studies comparing different current practices..
Introducing new platforms to improve disease management and care.
Testing advances in technology such as new cardiac stents.

There are cardiovascular research studies available at many hospitals and general practices in the region. Speak to your nurse or doctor to ask about at taking part in research studies or use the interactive map below to find research near you.

Your Local Cardiovascular Research Nurses and Research Teams

Oxford University Hospital Foundation Trust - Ellie Corps, Senior Cardiovascular Research Nurse

The NHS Cardiac Research Team at the John Radcliffe Hospital has supported research for over 10 years. It has grown rapidly and now includes nine Research Nurses and four non-clinical team members. The team supports studies across all aspects of adult cardiac research including stent studies, heart valve, electrophysiology and heart failure device trials. They have a wealth of clinical and research experience and are led by clinical academics of national and international standing.

Please contact us for further information.

Rachel Bates: Rachel.Bates@ouh.nhs.uk, 01865 740422

David Webster: David.Webster@ouh.nhs.uk, 01865 572837

Ellie Corps: Ellie.Corps@ouh.nhs.uk, 01865 223173

Wycombe Hospital – Mari Kononen

Here in Wycombe we have a dedicated cardiac and stroke receiving unit and coronary care ward. We have a large research team and try to offer every patient a chance to participate in research. This means we have a wide range of studies covering the majority of themes within the cardiovascular theme from simple questionnaires to trials of new medications and devices. Contact 01494 425901 or Mari.kononen@nhs.net.

Milton Keynes Hospital – Lynn Wren, Senior Research Nurse lead for Cardiovascular and Diabetes studies

Milton Keynes University Hospital has a relatively small though dynamic cardiovascular research delivery team. We deliver a variety of studies across the acute wards, Coronary Care Unit and outpatients covering a variety of cardiovascular conditions. In partnership with Professor Attila Kardos we work closely with cardiology consultants who are very supportive and positive about supporting research at the trust.

The research delivery team consists of myself, Diane Scaletta, Gabriela Bega and Felicity Williams. Between us we have over 45 years of nursing experience covering acute medicine, cardiology, critical care, cardiac rehabilitation and emergency Medicine. We are supported by Felicity who is responsible for ensuring the correct governance of our studies.

We would be really happy to discuss any potential studies that you may be interested in.

Please contact us on 01908 997558 / 997557 / 997324 or email me at Lynn.Wren@mkuh.nhs.uk.

Royal Berkshire Hospital – Mark Brunton, Cardiac Research Nurse

I have worked in cardiology at the Royal Berkshire Foundation trust since 1998.

I recently took responsibility for supporting cardiology research at the trust and I now work with eight active cardiology consultants who are responsible for numerous research studies and clinical trials.

The Cardiology Department has recently gained the Award of Excellence from the Joint Academic Board (JAB) of the University of Reading and the trust and we are now named The University Department of Cardiology.

We are a small team consisting of myself, Abigail Whyte with our medical lead Dr. Charlie Mckenna. Please contact me on 0118 3227260 or email me at mark.brunton@royalberkshire.nhs.uk.

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, located at the John Radcliffe Hospital, is incredibly fortunate to have an enthusiastic and hardworking team of highly experienced staff supporting a varied portfolio of cardiovascular research, from multi-million pound clinical trials to smaller cutting edge cardiovascular research studies.

The team is composed of research nurses, midwives, research assistants and research coordinators. Between them our nurses have over 100 years of nursing experience!

Some of the aspects of the role best loved by the team include:

the large variety of studies that take place.
being at the forefront of new clinical developments.
being able to build a rapport with participants over the duration of a study.
the collaboration with patients and researchers.
being part of research that will make a positive impact on people’s lives.
being somewhere that values learning and excellence.

Please contact Hanan Lamlum, Head of Clinical Research Co-ordination on 01865 234588 / hanan.lamlum@cardiov.ox.ac.uk or Catherine Krasopoulos, Lead Research Nurse on 01865 225232 / catherine.krasopoulos@cardiov.ox.ac.uk.

Click here for cardiovascular disease research news from across England.

Visit the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust website for information on cardiovascular disease studies taking place in Berkshire.

Visit the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust website for information on cardiovascular disease studies taking place in Buckinghamshire.

Visit the Milton Keynes University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website for information on cardiovascular disease studies taking place in Milton Keynes.

Visit the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website for information on cardiovascular disease studies taking place in Oxfordshire.

For more information on cardiovascular disease research in Thames Valley, visit the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the University of Oxford's Cardiovascular Science websites.

Find studies you could participate in at bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk.