Optimising the emergency management of acute cardiovascular events

Associate Professor Janet Bray, Monash University

2020 Future Leader Fellowship

Years funded: 2021-2025

Acute cardiovascular events include strokes, heart attacks and cardiac arrests. These time critical conditions affect one-in-five Australians and are a major cause of disability and death. Emergency treatments can reduce the damage to the heart and brain, but time-to-treatment is crucial –as these treatments are most effective at symptom onset and become less effective with time.

Unfortunately, many patients do not receive these treatments or receive them at a time when their effectiveness is reduced. Understanding and evaluating strategies to improve access to these treatments is a health care priority. There is also significant work to be done in improving the evidence-base for many of the emergency treatments for acute cardiovascular events –as many treatments are based on expert consensus rather than evidence.

The aim of my research program is to improve outcomes for Australian cardiovascular patients through a program of high-quality research aiming to improve access to acute treatments and informing treatment recommendations in clinical guidelines.

This program includes 2 main areas of research in heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest:

1) improving the public's' recognition and response to illness and

2) improving the evidence-base of care. Many of the Fellowship projects have recently received funding, and directly address the National Health and Priorities of Cardiovascular Health and Stroke and internationally recognised gaps in existing evidence.