Texas Heart® Institute Begins Study to Help Identify Patients at Increased Risk for Heart Attacks
Texas Heart® Institute (THI) at CHI St. Luke’s Health–Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center announced today that it is enrolling participants in the Lipid-Rich Plaque (LRP) Study - a large-scale, multi-center, international study aimed at linking the presence of LRP, a type of fatty coronary artery plaque, to the occurrence of a heart attack or other cardiac event.
LRP is associated with most heart attacks and will be identified in study participants using an intravascular imaging technology known as the TVC Imaging System™. THI is one of 100 international sites participating in this major research initiative, and is the first site in Houston to begin enrollment, as 176 of the study’s 9,000 participants have already been enrolled.
LRP and other coronary artery plaque is caused by the build-up of cholesterol and other materials inside the walls of the coronary arteries. Over time, the accumulation of plaque can gradually reduce blood supply to the heart, leading to chest pain during exertion. In addition, the plaque may also rupture, which can lead to a blood clot that could cause a heart attack, stroke or sudden death. Intravascular imaging using combined near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and enhanced intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is currently used at THI and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center to assess the structure and composition of plaque within the heart’s blood vessels. The information obtained is used to guide interventional treatment for better procedural outcomes.
The LRP Study, which launched in June 2014, will use NIRS-IVUS TVC Imaging to identify patients with LRP, and monitor these patients for two years for the incidence of a major adverse cardiac event. The study will initially focus on validating the ability of NIRS-IVUS intravascular imaging to predict coronary events, including heart attacks. If and when that goal is achieved, the study will transition to a blinded, randomized study of TVC-guided preventative treatment.
