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What is Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction? Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction, or HFpEF, occurs when one’s heart pumps properly but cannot relax as it should. Ejection Fraction specifically relates to the heart’s ability to pump blood throughout the body from its left ventricle. It is one of two types of heart failure that can be diagnosed and is more highly prevalent in women. Compared to a heart without HFpEF, the left ventricle is too small to contain the volume of blood it needs to continue pumping out to the rest of the body because the heart muscle is too thick. How is HFpEF diagnosed? HFpEF can be diagnosed in patients using an echocardiogram of the heart, which is an ultrasound specific to looking at heart structure and function. On an echocardiogram of a patient with HFpEF, a physician can see the small left ventricle and a stiffness when the heart tries to relax. What are some common characteristics of someone with HFpEF? Typically, HFpEF patients are older females. A HFpEF diagnosis may also be associated with obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, or atrial fibrillation (an irregular, rapid heartbeat). Additionally, HFpEF patients can also have noncardiac comorbidities such as anemia, kidney disease, hypothyroidism, cancer or psychiatric disorders. How will the study be executed? The goal of Dr. Keeley’s study is to test for inflammation in the heart of HFpEF patients and see if there is an association between this and omega-3 fatty acids. First, blood samples will be taken to see if there are inflammatory markers and omega-3 fatty acids present in patients. Then, Dr. Keeley’s team will use a novel cardiac MRI technique that involves study participants getting an iron transfusion then an MRI. If inflammation is present in the heart, the iron from the transfusion will light up on the scan.
Heart to Heart Grant Celebration at University of Florida Health
By Alex Goodman , Grants & Scholarships Manager, Alpha Phi Foundation
Improving the care and education of women’s heart health has been at the forefront of Alpha Phi Foundation’s philanthropic endeavors since the inception of the Heart to Heart Grant. 2023 brought the 30th anniversary of the Heart to Heart Grant, and the recipient University of Florida Health joins the ranks of a plethora of prestigious institutions doing vital work in the heart health space. Led by Dr. Ellen Keeley, University of Florida Health’s “Hearts on Fire: Targeting Inflammation in Women with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction” is aiming to better understand HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction) to offer new approaches to treatment. On November 15, 2023, Alpha Phi Foundation visited University of Florida Health to celebrate this grant and learn more about the research Dr. Keeley and her team will be performing. Over the next two years, Dr. Keeley hopes to enroll at least 20 women with HFpEF into her study. Using her findings, it is hopeful that this will be an incredible step towards developing new treatments for women diagnosed with HFpEF.
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