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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in the U.S. Fortunately, the earlier people find out they have CVD, and with the many ways it can be treated, people can live healthier, longer lives. The UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute developed the Community Outreach and Cardiovascular Health (COACH) program to provide education about heart health, screening and treatment for CVD.
COACH has three components. The first is Check Your Heart, a community program that checks people for CVD. The next is FreeCare, a program to provide cardiovascular care to underserved patients who lack medical insurance. The last is the Childhood Health and Nutritional Goals and Education (CHANGE) program, dedicated to helping children be healthy.
Members of the COACH team provide free CVD screenings to adults in the community. Screenings include measures of height, weight, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol levels and blood sugar. Additionally, counseling is available from dietitians and cardiologists.
The FreeCare program runs a free cardiovascular clinic as part of the Birmingham Free Clinic (412-431-4280), located at 44 South 9th Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side. This clinic serves patients who have little to no health care coverage.  The free cardiovascular clinic is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh’s Program for Health Care for Underserved Populations. Cardiovascular services provided include heart-health tests, standard treatments and follow-up visits with doctors.
The CHANGE program was created to reach children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The goals of CHANGE are to help provide educational services to address the cardiovascular health and physical activity needs of local children. CHANGE emphasizes physical activity, healthy eating and overall wellness.
The CHANGE program works with schools, communities and health care providers to promote heart health. The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School has partnered with the CHANGE program to help their students reduce BMI and childhood obesity as important risk factors influencing heart health.
For more information about the COACH program and the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, visit UPMC.com/COACH or call toll-free at 1-855-UPMC-HVI (876-2484).

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly, and without warning, stops beating. This event causes hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S. every year. Without immediate help, people who have sudden cardiac arrest can die within minutes. According to Clifton W. Callaway, MD, PhD, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, it affects one person a day in Pittsburgh on average.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the first step in saving the life of someone who has sudden cardiac arrest. From 2000-2005, people in Pittsburgh were taught to give 15 chest compressions and two breaths (15:2). But Dr. Callaway’s research, and that of others, found that every time chest compressions are stopped to give breaths, the blood pressure created by the compressions drops off. Dr. Callaway and his group began preliminary testing and started training local first responders to do 30 compressions and two breaths (30:2). Researchers tracked patient outcomes before and after this change and found that they were more successful at getting pulses back by doing 30:2. Dr. Callaway and his group weren’t the only ones doing research on this, but they had helped Pittsburgh first responders switch to 30:2 well before the CPR guidelines were changed. Now, 30:2 is part of the international CPR guidelines.
One of the questions researchers are studying now is, if 30:2 is better than 15:2, would it be even better not to pause chest compressions at all and just blow some oxygen into the patient every 10 seconds or so? In Pittsburgh, first responders are now being trained to do either 30:2 (pausing to give two breaths) or continuous chest compressions while blowing oxygen. Some ambulances are doing one and some are doing the other.  Dr. Callaway and his group are tracking all the outcomes in the region to answer that question.
Because patients can’t give consent to participate in research if they are having an emergency, resuscitation researchers like Dr. Callaway have to follow particular rules. Regulations allow for exceptions from informed consent for research in emergency situations. Researchers are permitted to try things if the study meets certain guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration, the national Office for Human Research Protections and local institutional review boards. Anyone looking for information about studies going on in the region can go to http://acutecareresearch.org/ or call 412-647-3078.
It’s also important to remember that this is emergency research. It’s taking place in a life-threatening situation. Researchers aren’t studying procedures to see if they would be cheaper or easier. They are only doing things that have a real chance of helping someone stay alive.
According to Dr. Callaway, the best way of preparing for a sudden cardiac event is to learn CPR. People don’t have to go to a class or get certified. They can learn the basics online, at a public event or even from a health care provider. Don’t be afraid to help someone. Know how to activate the emergency system, which begins by calling 911. It’s what stands between you and a bad outcome some rough day.

Several research studies (called clinical trials) involving diseased heart valves are currently looking for research participants. These studies involve the use of investigational devices. This means that research studies are required to determine whether these devices are safe and are beneficial to patients. In some cases, these devices might allow patients to undergo less invasive procedures than traditional open-heart surgery (“less invasive procedures” mean not as much cutting into or entering the body with surgical instruments). If you are interested in enrolling in this type of study, you might undergo physical examinations, blood and other tests to make sure that you are eligible. After you complete these tests, results will be reviewed by a committee of doctors to determine whether you are eligible.
Participating in this type of research may benefit others in the future by improving treatment of diseased heart valves. Like all research studies, your participation is completely voluntary. You may withdraw from a study at any time. The study doctor might also end your participation if he or she determines that it is not in the best interest of your health.  
If you are interested in learning more about this type of research, please call the HVI Valve Center at 1-877-412-8258.

The SYMPLICITY trial is a type of research study called a clinical trial. A clinical trial is designed to test the safety or effectiveness of a new drug or device in humans. This clinical trial tests a new medical device meant for people whose high blood pressure cannot be controlled by different medications. The device has not yet been approved for the general public. The SYMPLICITY trial will include more than 500 people in more than 90 hospitals nationwide. To participate, people must be between 18 and 80 and on at least three doses of antihypertensive medication, one of which must be a diuretic (medicine that helps the body get rid of water and salt through urine).
If you want to enroll in the SYMPLICITY trial, you will be screened for the medications that you are currently taking. If you meet the study’s requirements, you will be asked to come in for a visit. Study visits take place in Oakland. Participants will be involved in three screening visits within 30 days and several follow-up visits for up to three years. If you participate in this trial, you may receive more frequent clinic visits and more information about your blood pressure. It may also decrease the amount and numbers of medications that you take.
If you’d like more information about high blood pressure or the SYMPLICITY trial, please call Lisa at 412-802-8672.