Research & Innovation |Overview
The BACH Program has several ongoing studies that are enrolling, including:
- BACH Biobank: A repository of blood and urine samples from adult congenital heart patients to be stored for future studies. All congenital heart patients seen in the BACH clinic are eligible. The data from this biobank has been used for multiple studies thus far, and the samples are stored for future research.
- Pregnancy studies: There is an ongoing data repository and registry of BACH patients with a pregnancy or delivery. The information collected includes congenital heart diagnosis, pregnancy or delivery complications and pregnancy outcomes. In addition, there is a currently enrolling study of exercise in pregnancy funded by Brigham and Women's Hospital.
- Cognitive and mental health studies: There is an ongoing project evaluating long-term cognitive and mental health outcomes in adult patients with transposition of the great arteries including neuropsychological testing, mental health evaluations and brain MRI. A second study enrolling clinic patients for screening for cognitive problems in adults with multiple types of CHD will be starting in 2018-2019. Both studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Recent research
Our physicians are also involved in many areas of research related to adults with congenital heart disease. Here is a sample of recent published studies:
Prevalence of Cancer in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease Compared With the General Population.
Gurvitz M, Ionescu-Ittu R, Guo L, Eisenberg MJ, Abrahamowicz M, Pilote L, Marelli AJ.
Am J Cardiol. 2016 Dec 1;118(11):1742-1750. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2016.08.057. Epub 2016 Aug 31.
PMID: 27702435
Decline in peak oxygen consumption over time predicts death or transplantation in adults with a Fontan circulation.
Cunningham JW, Nathan AS, Rhodes J,Shafer K, Landzberg MJ, Opotowsky AR.
Am Heart J. 2017 Jul;189:184-192. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2017.04.009. Epub 2017 Apr 27.
PMID: 28625375
A propensity score-adjusted analysis of clinical outcomes after pulmonary valve replacement in tetralogy of Fallot.
Bokma JP,Geva T, Sleeper LA, Babu Narayan SV, Wald R, Hickey K, Jansen K, Wassall R, Lu M, Gatzoulis MA, Mulder BJ,Valente AM.
Heart. 2017 Nov 1. pii: heartjnl-2017-312048. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312048. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 29092913
Liver health in adults with Fontan circulation: A multicenter cross-sectional study.
Wu FM, Kogon B, Earing MG, Aboulhosn JA, Broberg CS, John AS, Harmon A, Sainani NI, Hill AJ, Odze RD, Johncilla ME, Ukomadu C, Gauvreau K,Valente AM, Landzberg MJ; Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology (AARCC) Investigators.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2017 Mar;153(3):656-664. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.10.060. Epub 2016 Nov 12.
PMID: 27955914
Estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine biomarkers in patients with single-ventricle Fontan circulation.
Opotowsky AR, Baraona FR, Mc Causland FR,Loukas B, Landzberg E,Landzberg MJ, Sabbisetti V, Waikar SS.
Heart. 2017 Mar;103(6):434- -442. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-309729. Epub 2016 Sep 26.
PMID: 27670967
Galectin-3 Is Elevated and Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Patients With Single-Ventricle Fontan Circulation.
Opotowsky AR, Baraona F, Owumi J, Loukas B, Singh MN, Valente AM, Wu F, Cheng S, Veldtman G, Rimm EB,Landzberg MJ.
J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Jan 11;5(1). pii: e002706. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.115.002706.
PMID: 26755550
Hybrid Approach for Off-Pump Pulmonary Valve Replacement in Patients With a Dilated Right Ventricular Outflow Tract.
Porras D, Gurvitz M, Marshall AC,Emani SM.
Ann Thorac Surg. 2015 Nov;100(5):e99-101. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2015.02.124.
PMID: 26522579
Tricuspid valve regurgitation in congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries and a left ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit.
Buber J, McElhinney DB, Valente AM, Marshall AC,Landzberg MJ.
Ann Thorac Surg. 2015 Apr;99(4):1348-56. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2014.11.008. Epub 2015 Feb 7.
PMID: 25661908
Predictive value of biomarkers of hepatic fibrosis in adult Fontan patients.
Wu FM, Earing MG, Aboulhosn JA, Johncilla ME,Singh MN, Odze RD, Ukomadu C, Gauvreau K,Landzberg MJ, Valente AM; Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology (AARCC) Investigators.
J Heart Lung Transplant. 2017 Feb;36(2):211-219. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2016.07.011. Epub 2016 Jul 27.
PMID: 27592026
Shafer, K., Gurvitz, M.,Landzberg, M.J. and Opotowsky,A.R 4. Rajpal, S., Alshawabkeh, L., Almaddah, N., Joyce, C.M.,Shafer, K., Gurvitz, M., Waikar, S.S., Mc Causland,F.R., Landzberg,M.J. and Opotowsky, A.R. Association of albuminuria with major adverse outcomes in adults with congenital heart disease: results from the Boston Adult Congenital Heart Biobank. JAMA cardiology. 2018 Mar 14.