The Peripheral Vascular Research Program of the Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta’s (FHC) Research Department at Piedmont Hospital is quickly becoming one of the most prolific peripheralresearch sites in the nation.
A team of physicians, medical professionals and research staff is putting the FHC Research Department’s Peripheral Research Program on the map. The program strives to balance the loftier goal of advancing the understanding of peripheral vascular disease with the daily objective of providing patients with the latest technologies in the diagnoses, treatment and management of peripheral vascular disease. In this endeavor, the program offers a blend of studies focusing on such areas as angioplasty, stent placement, atherectomy, risk assessment, non-invasive therapies and state-of-the-art imaging procedures. A plethora of available trials are sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the pharmaceutical industry and investigator-initiated clinical studies. Among the numerous studies in progress are two major NIH trials: (1) CREST - Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs. Stenting Trial, and (2) CORAL - Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions Randomized and Multi-Center Two-Group Clinical Trial to Assess the Best Treatment for Patients With High Blood Pressure and Renal Artery Stenosis: Stenting With Anti-Hypertensive Medical Therapy, Compared to Medical Therapy Alone.
Since 2004, the program has become one of the highest accruing peripheral research programs in the nation. Such successes bring not only national recognition to the Research Department at FHC but also hope to patients by positively influencing their chance of survival as well as their quality of life, which are the ultimate aspirations of the program.