As the Cardiovascular Research Foundation celebrates 15 years of extraordinary achievements, our focus is, as always, on the next breakthrough, the next life-saving discovery. Our physician-researchers are continuing to work on advancements and innovations that will improve and save even more lives. Our ultimate goal? To one day eliminate heart disease altogether.

1. First to Implement Augmented Intelligence
   We are the first center to utilize advanced AI to help doctors identify patterns that are too complex for the human brain to process. This deep learning technology empowers doctors with additional information to better monitor, measure, and treat coronary artery plaque, complementing and enhancing their assessments.
2. Advanced Cholesterol Treatment
   Our team introduced PCSK9 inhibitors, a potent new class of drugs that lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol. These new drugs are not only more effective in lowering cholesterol, they have fewer side effects and have resulted in fewer heart attacks and strokes.
3. Robotics in Invasive Cardiac Electrophysiology
   These state-of-the0art tools allow doctors to navigate and treat conditions inside the heart without open-chest surgery. The length of procedures is shorter and there is less exposure to radiation. The robotic tools can maneuver quickly and accurately, providing the doctor with real-time, 3D visuals thanks to multi-media imaging and automated catheter control.
4. Breakthrough Plaque Research
   Our early research demonstrated that plaque (the substance that causes heart attacks) in the heart arteries is reversible with medication. The result has been reduced hospitalizations, disability and death for patients, with the potential of eliminating heart disease altogether.
5. First Personal EKG Device
   AliveCor introduced remote monitoring and diagnosis. It allows patients to take EKG readings via their smart phones and then share them with their doctors, allowing the results to be imported directly into their electronic medical chart. The result is faster diagnoses and rapid implementation of treatments at home, with few ER visits and hospitalizations.
6. Women’s Cardiac Diagnosis and Treatment and Microvascular Cardiac Disease
   Many women suffer from debilitating chest pain during normal cardiac test results. Our research into women’s cardiac disease and microvascular cardiac disease has led to new tests that can diagnose previously overlooked cardiac issues. This enables patients to be treated more quickly and effectively.
7. Measuring Blood Flow from Cardiac CTs
   CVR was the first to use in-office cardiac CTs to measure blood flow (CT-FFR) to predict the need for stents or bypass procedures. This revolutionary diagnostic technique allows doctors to determine whether or not such procedures are required without an invasive hospital procedure.
8. Superior Cardiac Stents
   We pioneered new stent technology, making them safer, more effective, and far more easily inserted, allowing patients to go home the same day. Older stents required open-chest bypass surgery and had a high rate of occlusion. This achievement has delivered excellent outcomes and a better patient experience.
9. Introduction of Novel Oral Anticoagulants
   We were able to offer patients in clinical trials these life-saving drugs, which were a vast improvement over the earlier versions. Now widely used, NOACs are safer and far more effective anticoagulants, requiring less testing, and resulting in fewer complications and better outcomes.
10. More Effective Pacemakers
    Our advancements in electrophysiology have led to better, more accurate implantable cardiac devices that are able to detect and treat deadly arrhythmias. Now, life-saving pacemakers and defibrillators can be finely tuned to avoid under- or over-treatment.
11. In-Office Cardiac CT scans
    We were one of the first to offer Cardiac CTA scans to patients, which allows doctors to do a comprehensive cardiac analysis with a single test, right in the office. This led to a new paradigm for testing. Now we are a Center of Excellence, with unique state-of-the-art CT equipment, receiving national referrals.
12. Advanced Imaging Training
    CVRF has been on the leading edge of this technology, developing and adopting the latest advancements. We also have one of the first and longest-running advanced training courses for Cardiac CT, providing doctors across the world essential new skills.
13. Smarter Coronary Imaging
    New coronary invasive imaging technology enables doctors to determine the ideal size and location for a stent and to find tune implanted stents. Our early studies have resulted in more personalized and precise stent placement.
14. Novel Treatment of Hypertension
    Nearly half of all adults in the US have high blood pressure. Our clinical trials are exploring the effective of permanent pacing (a type of pacemaker device) on difficult-to-treat hypertension cases, leading to new treatment modalities. We are among the first to treat blood pressure during your daily activities via your smart phone, versus a one-time reading at your doctor’s office.
15. Honoring Heroes and Funding the Future
    CVRF awards outstanding cardiology trainees at every California university; our foundation funds the early stages of breakthrough research projects; and we have given humanitarian awards to front-line health care workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide funding for Best Science awards at international cardiovascular meetings.

Our physician-researchers have gone steadily beyond what we thought was possible just a few years ago. They have innovated cutting-edge technologies and life-saving treatments that have already benefitted many of you. They have used science to improve the quality of lives and even lengthen lives. We couldn’t have done any of this without you, our patients, and our supporters.

Your support has always been critical to the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. Whether we consider one life saved or the millions of lives that our research has touched, the value of this work in the past and in the future is incalculable. Thanks to your support, we are 15 years closer to ending cardiovascular disease for good.