What is the optimal management approach to severe asymptomatic calcific aortic stenosis (surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) or deferred surgical AVR until development of symptoms (watchful waiting))?
Would improving sleep and circadian rhythms in the critical care setting result in improved patient outcomes (e.g., reduce severity of infection, duration of intubation, length of hospital stay)?
Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the beneficial effects of cell therapy are mostly indirect, but what are the key factors responsible for these indirect benefits?
Will sensitivity to the psychological aspects of obesity, including lifestyle priorities and motivations, improve the efficacy of long-term effectiveness of weight loss and obesity prevention interventions?
There is a need for an observational registry of new-onset post-operative atrial fibrillation (AF) patients to better understand the mechanisms of post-operative AF and allow clinicians to define patient-specific AF phenotypes and treatments. The registry’s information and infrastructure could be used to develop and conduct clinical trials that provide strong evidence for guidelines in treating this common problem.
Does assessment and treatment of sleep apnea in pregnancy reduce the risk of maternal heart, lung and blood disease and complications associated with delivery and risk factors in offspring (e.g., obesity)?
With the advent of HAART HIV-infected subjects are living longer. Lung infectious complications so common in the early stages of the HIV epidemic have been replaced by those associated with chronic inflammation (COPD, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer). Furthermore, this chronic inflammation is likely contributing to premature vascular complications (i.e coronary disease) seen in this population. All of these complications ...more »
Can normoxemic patients with COPD benefit from oxygen supplementation?
The cause of obesity is clear and simple: eating > needs, or in > out; that is, energy intake is greater than energy use. For the majority of the public, there is little genetic component to cause obesity or over weight. Rather, personal determination is the single thing that is needed to control body weight. Just control the mouth. Simple and easy, and free. Even for the most favorite food, the amount to eat should be ...more »
A growing concern among the sickle cell community surrounds the lack of mental health and wellness services. Many in the community deal with anxiety and depression. It is well known how intricately connected mental and physical health are. So if we know that stress can trigger a psychological crisis which in turn triggers a physical pain crisis, why do we not automatically include mental health services within patient ...more »
There is compelling evidence that pre-hospital therapy of both stroke and MI can improve outcomes and yet, with the exception of aspirin for MI, almost no care is administered pre-hospital in the U.S. NHLBI has a major stake in improving pre-hospital care because there already are sufficient data to show that currently available interventions would improve outcomes if they could be administered in the prehospital setting. ...more »
What should be the systolic blood pressure goal for pharmacological treatment, and should it vary by age or by cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk category?