The Centre for the Study of Heart Failure Treatment (CEST-SC) was established within the Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health (DSMC), with its administrative headquarters located within the Department.
The Centre’s primary objective is to promote research into the pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment of heart failure.
Heart failure is currently the leading cause of hospitalisation among adults in Western countries and one of the major contributors to national healthcare expenditure. Although advances in treatment have improved the prognosis of outpatients with chronic heart failure due to systolic dysfunction, outcomes and treatment remain largely unsatisfactory in other important patient groups, with no substantial improvements in recent decades. These include patients hospitalised due to worsening heart failure and those with heart failure and preserved systolic function. There is therefore an urgent need to deepen our understanding of the pathophysiology, diagnosis and clinical characterisation of heart failure, and to improve treatment strategies for this condition.
The Centre’s activities include the following initiatives:
- Conducting research on heart failure, with particular focus on its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnostic and prognostic assessment procedures, and the evaluation of the efficacy of new treatments. This includes Phase I and II clinical trials and collaboration on Phase III trials.
- Promoting and organising registries, observational studies and pharmacoepidemiological research to assess treatment practices and therapeutic responses in patients with different forms of heart failure, including specific subgroups such as patients with concomitant ischaemic heart disease, kidney disease, pulmonary disease, preserved systolic function, hospitalised heart failure, or primary pulmonary arterial hypertension.
- Conducting research aimed at improving follow-up care and treatment for patients recently hospitalised for heart failure. This includes implementing new remote monitoring methods for vital signs, adopting innovative patient education programmes and assessing treatment adherence.
- Organising seminars, continuing professional development activities and national and international scientific conferences in areas relevant to the Centre’s research objectives.
- Organising workshops focused on therapeutic targets, the implementation of new study protocols and methods for evaluating treatment outcomes.
- Promoting and supporting patient and family associations, as well as networks of interested healthcare professionals, to raise awareness of issues relating to heart failure and chronic diseases more generally.