The Laboratory has a long tradition of epidemiological research: in collaboration with vast networks of general practitioners, cardiologists and internists has conducted numerous observational studies and controlled clinical trials in the cardiovascular field. In particular, current ongoing studies are focused on the optimization of cardiovascular prevention in high-risk individuals, on the lifestyles improvement (also by means of mobile-health), on the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, on patients with peripheral artery disease and on the adherence to drug therapy using the polypill strategy for myocardial infarction secondary prevention. A part of the activity is devoted to drug-epidemiology and rational use of drugs, based on the analyses of prescriptions, hospitalizations and outpatient of large data-base.
Secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in elderly
The SECURE study, funded by the European Commission (Horizon 2020 Programme), tests, with a randomised controlled design, the efficacy of a polypill (containing aspirin, atorvastatin and ramipril) compared with the standard of care in the secondary prevention of major cardiovascular events in elderly patients with a recent myocardial infarction. A total of 3200 patients will be randomized in this study and will be followed for at least two years. The Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS belongs to the SECURE Study Consortium together with Spain, Germany, France, Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic. The Institute is responsible of the coordination of the Italian cardiology wards involved in the project.
Population-based cardiovascular risk assessment
The SKIM risk study, conducted by General Practitioners, aims to facilitate the cardiovascular risk assessment, recommended in subjects 40 years or older. Currently, population based cardiovascular screening are costly, time-consuming and poorly effective in reducing cardiovascular events. The study objective is to develop an inexpensive screening algorithm, based on non-laboratory measures, to select subjects at low risk in order to facilitate the realization of population-based cardiovascular screening programs and to concentrate the limited resources only for those subjects who are really at higher cardiovascular risk. The study will involve 3000 subjects. This project is funded by the Ministry of Health within the Ricerca Finalizzata public Grant 2016 framework.
Peripheral Artery Disease in patients with stable Coronary Artery Disease
The observational study PAD&CAD aims to determine the prevalence of peripheral artery disease in patients with stable coronary artery disease, in general practice by means of the ankle – brachial index measurement. The study aims also to describe the clinical profile, cardiovascular risk factors, pharmacological treatments and clinical events of this population. One thousand patients will be included and followed for one year. This project is partially supported by an unrestricted Grant by Bayer SpA Italia.
Drug-epidemiologic profile of subjects at cardiovascular risk
The main purpose of this project, carried out in collaboration with Lombardy Region, is to describe prevalence, incidence outcome, management and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. For this purpose, the administrative health database of Lombardy Region is analysed. It contains data on demographics, drug therapy, hospitalizations, emergency room admissions, and the outpatient services of about 10 million residents. Through the cross-linkage of these information, in an anonymized way, it is possible to trace the epidemiological profile and drug treatments of patients with cardiovascular diseases.
“mobile Health” and “e-Health” technologies for cardiovascular prevention
The IMPROVE study aim is to create an organizational model to optimize cardiovascular prevention based on the use of a e-Health platform, to facilitate the communication between general practitioners and specialists, and the use of an App (mobile-Health solution) by patients as educational and telemonitoring tool. The efficacy of this model will be evaluated in achieving prevention goals in those patients with uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors.
International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
