OUTREACH

2021

The successful treatment of congenital heart disease (ConHD) has greatly increased the survival of children with this condition. Many of these defects require surgical or catheter interventions immediately after birth. However, complete restoration of the defect is often unachievable, a high risk of developing heart failure, arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death or blood vessel dilatation or stenosis relatively early in life.

Currently, there is a lack of personalized risk predictors and optimal clinical decision tools, highlighting an unmet need to develop new effective strategies for treating and preventing ventricular failure, arrhythmias, and large vessel diseases.

The Focus
The OUTREACH consortium focuses on specific types of congenital heart diseases (ConHD) related to outflow tract defects, such as transposition of the great arteries, congenital aortic stenosis, and tetralogy of Fallot, which collectively account for over half of all ConHD cases. The goal of OUTREACH is to reduce the risk of mortality and morbidity and improve the quality of life for these patients (both children and adults) by improving follow-up practices based on outcomes, implementing personalized risk assessment tools, and advancing therapeutic strategies.

The Research
The OUTREACH consortium integrates expertise in preclinical research, developmental biology, disease modeling, and clinical research from academic centers specializing in pediatric and adult congenital cardiology and surgery. Its objectives are:

identifying better parameters for risk assessment and early detection of heart failure or ventricular arrhythmias in ConHD patients with outflow tract defects.
Exploring efficient treatments to enhance adaptation and prevent heart failure and vascular damage in at-risk ConHD patients.

This consortium conducts extensive research involving a large cohort of ConHD patients to unravel the underlying causes and mechanisms of cardiac adaptations following surgical interventions. It investigates the molecular mechanisms responsible for outflow tract defects and evaluates whether stimulating heart regeneration in ConHD models can mitigate adverse remodeling and heart failure. Additionally, the consortium explores new non-invasive imaging techniques and blood-derived biomarkers to develop innovative risk analysis tools for clinical decision-making. In OUTREACH a nationwide registry is created for all patients (children and adults) with ConHD in the Netherlands by harmonizing existing registries KinCor and ConCor. This is an important step towards optimizing the quality of care for the ConHD population and fostering scientific research on ConHD.

Origin
The Dutch Heart Foundation and Stichting Hartekind, who collaborate within the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance, initiated an invitational grant to start and fund large-scale research aimed at earlier detection and better treatment of the consequences of congenital heart defects.

Funded

Contact person:

Prof. W.A. Helbing (Wim)

w.a.helbing@erasmusmc.nl

Principal investigators

Prof. W.A. Helbing (Wim)

w.a.helbing@erasmusmc.nl

Prof. dr. J. Bakkers (Jeroen)

j.bakkers@hubrecht.eu

Prof. dr. B.J. Bouma (Berto)

b.j.bouma@amsterdamumc.nl

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The correct interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) is crucial for accurately diagnosing cardiac abnormalities. Current methods, both manual by physicians and computerized, have not achieved the level of accuracy comparable to cardiologists in detecting acute cardiac issues. Leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence and big data, particularly deep neural networks, offers promising avenues to improve ECG interpretation where traditional methods have fallen short. The ECG-Project develops deep learning algorithms to automate ECG interpretation, particularly focusing on areas where current methods are inadequate.
Through this research, we aim to revolutionize ECG interpretation, improving diagnostic accuracy, reducing healthcare resource utilization, and ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.
The Research
The project objectives are:

WP1: Creating an algorithm capable of accurately and swiftly triaging ECGs through transfer learning, uncovering features in diseases with unknown ECG characteristics (such as primary arrhythmia syndromes and genetic disorders).
WP2: design a portable multi-lead ecg-device, suitable for use by patients at home and healthcare professionals. This device will enable high-quality ECG acquisitions for rapid diagnosis.

Origin
This project is funded within the Innovative Medical Devices Initiative (IMDI) program 'Heart for Sustainable Care'. The focus of this program is the development of medical technology for the earlier detection, monitoring, and better treatment of cardiovascular diseases to ensure accessible healthcare and sufficient staffing. The program has been developed and funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation, ZonMw and NWO, who collaborate within the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance.

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DECISION

2020

Digoxin is the oldest, market-authorized drug for heart failure (HF), and very cheap. A large trial with digoxin, the DIG trial, executed in the early nineties revealed a highly significant reduction in HF hospitalizations, but no effect on mortality. A post-hoc analysis of the DIG trial suggests that low serum concentrations of digoxin may not only improve HF hospitalizations but also mortality in chronic HF patients. To validate these findings, a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial is required to redefine the role of digoxin in modern HF treatment.
The Focus
The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether low-level digoxin (targeting serum concentrations of 0.5-0.9 ng/mL), compared to a placebo, reduces (repeated) HF hospitalizations, (repeated) urgent HF hospital visits, and cardiovascular mortality when added to standard guideline-recommended therapies in chronic HF patients with reduced or mid-range ejection fractions (LVEF ≤50%).
The Research
This proposed trial is a national, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 982 chronic HF patients aged ≥18 years, classified as NYHA II to ambulatory IV, LVEF ≤50%, and specific serum NT-proBNP concentrations based on rhythm and recent HF hospitalization status. Patients must also be on guideline-recommended therapies. The study population includes at least one-third with atrial fibrillation (AF) and one-third women to represent the real-life HF population.
Patients were randomized to receive either a low-level digoxin or a placebo in a double-blinded manner. Digoxin Teva will be administered orally, starting at doses of 0.2mg or 0.1mg (based on age, renal function, and concomitant medication). No loading dose is given to the placebo group. After 4 weeks of evaluating medication (digoxin or placebo), concentrations will be measured. Dose adjustments will be made if needed to reach the target serum digoxin concentration range of 0.5-0.9ng/mL.
The outcomes in reducing adverse cardiovascular events in patients with chronic heart failure of low-dose digoxin will be compared to the outcomes of the placebo.
The origin
This study was funded as part of the Dutch Heart Foundation's collaboration with the ZonMw GGG program on Good Use of Medicines (Goed Gebruik Geneesmiddelen) for better treatment of heart failure and atrial fibrillation, which was one of the 5 priority's that the Dutch Heart Foundation set in 2014. The DECISION study involves 38 hospitals and is led by cardiologists from UMC Groningen and the WCN.

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