Statement of the Problem:

Over the last several decades, scientists have made great progress in their understanding of cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, much remains to be learned about the causes, course, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. In order to learn more about this topic, it is important to establish large databases of cardiovascular patients. These databases allows scientists to investigate, in a rigorous and precise manner, those factors that influence cardiovascular disease.

How the Problem Will Be Studied:

In the present study, we intend to establish a large database of cardiovascular patients. More specifically, we will create a database of approximately 12,000 cardiac catheterization and heart failure patients from Emory University Hospital, the Emory Clinic, Crawford Long Hospital, and Grady Memorial Hospital.

We will collect a large amount of data on these patients. Data to be collected will include information on:

1. medical history of the patient
2. medical history of the patient’s family
3. health behaviors of the patient
4. psychological status of the patient
5. results of procedures the patient undergoes, such as catheterization/angioplasty/bypass
6. biochemical markers in patient blood samples, including genetic/DNA markers
7. follow-up information on patient outcomes such as mortality or re-hospitalization

The data noted above will be collected by:

1. administering questionnaires/interviews to the patients
2. accessing the medical records of the patients
3. collecting blood samples from patients which will be analyzed by laboratories for their biochemical content.

Once the data has been collected, we will run a variety of statistical analyses to which will help us to learn more about the factors that cause various cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, angina, heart failure, hypertension, and stroke. The statistical analyses will also help us to understand how these diseases can be treated more effectively.

How the Research Will Advance Scientific Knowledge/Human Health:

By collecting a large amount of data on a large number of cardiovascular patients, we will be able to analyze, with a great deal of precision, those factors that influence the onset, course, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The results of these precise analyses can then be used to help optimize clinical efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.