Heart research conducted in Greater Cincinnati will be making a big splash today at the national science meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Fla.
Dr. Dean Kereiakes, medical director of the Carl & Edyth Lindner Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Research at Christ Hospital, is listed as lead author or co-author for eight scientific papers to be presented at the meeting. Some of the papers also include other members of the Lindner Center, or doctors from a closely affiliated group practice called the Ohio Heart Center.
The research includes several studies involving a new drug called ReoPro, which could help prevent second heart attacks.
Other studies focus on new stent designs to prop open clogged arteries. Stents are mesh tubes inserted into arteries to help hold them open.
''I don't think many people realize that Cincinnati is becoming a center for cardiac research. Very few other centers in the country will have more than eight abstracts at this meeting,'' Dr. Kereiakes said.
The Carl & Edyth Lindner Center was started in 1984. It has grown to include three physicians who lead the research and 14 research nurses. The center is involved in 65 clinical trials totaling more than $4 million a year in research grants.
Among the studies to be presented today:
In a few hours just after a heart attack, researchers say the rapid use of a drug called abciximab (trade name ReoPro), along with low doses of a clot-busting drug called activase, appear to be effective at reopening clogged blood vessels and reducing permanent damage to the heart muscle. The use of ReoPro will allow lower doses of activase, thus reducing the risk of potentially harmful side effects.
Two abstracts from the national ''ORBIT'' trial testing different doses of an oral anti-platelet agent called xemilofiban (XEM). The drug is expected to help heart attack survivors avoid second heart attacks by preventing further blood vessel clogs. The second test studied whether the drug has harmful side effects during prolonged use. No significant problems were reported.
An abstract from the national ''Epilog'' trial reporting that the use of ReoPro reduces the need for unplanned stent placement for cardiac patients.
Three other ReoPro studies: one that found that diabetics treated for heart disease may require different doses of ReoPro than non-diabetics; another indicating the drug does not cause increased bleeding in patients when used in combination with other heart drugs; and a third reporting that the drug can be administered safely in multiple doses.
A study that found that the ACS Multi-link stent is at least as effective as the Palmaz-Schatz stent when tested 30 days after insertion. The ACS stent is one of the first that can be used in longer, curving blood vessels.
