

Research the key to saving hearts this Christmas
Media Release - 11 December 2019
In this year’s Christmas Appeal, the Heart Foundation is highlighting the value of research into improving treatment for those who have had a heart attack. Around 20 Australians die from heart attack every day (a heart attack happens when an artery supplying blood to the heart gets blocked by a clot). Many deaths could be prevented with better treatments in the initial stages of a heart attack.
National Heart Foundation Group CEO, Adjunct Professor John Kelly AM, said that supporting research is the key to fighting heart disease, including heart attack.
A fine example is the work being done by Heart Foundation Vanguard grant recipient Professor Kaz Negishi, who is investigating a new technique to improve the emergency response to a heart attack.
The priority during a heart attack is to restore blood flow to the heart muscle quickly. The recommended treatment in most heart attack cases is to insert a stent to reopen the blocked blood vessel, but only if it can be performed within 90 minutes of first medical contact.
In Australia, many people live too far from a centre that can perform stent therapy. Instead, they usually receive “fibrinolysis”, where drugs are injected to dissolve blood clots. A limitation of this type of therapy is that fibrinolysis doesn’t restore blood flow in all patients who receive it.
Professor Negishi is setting up clinical trials to determine if a new technique will make fibrinolysis work better. “Contrast agents” are injected into the bloodstream alongside the fibrinolysis drugs and travel to the blood clot. Ultrasound is then used to vibrate the contrast agents, causing expansion of microbubbles, which is thought to help break up the clot and enable the fibrinolysis medicines to work more effectively.
Scott Umback’s wife Katrina said that Scott had experienced chest pain previously but was doing everything his local doctors advised. His blood pressure and cholesterol were fine. But a week before his scheduled appointment for a CT scan in Melbourne he found himself in an ambulance on the way to the local hospital, again with chest pain.
Scott urgently needed treatment in Melbourne and a plane was on its way, but it was too late. Before it got to us, Scott went into cardiac arrest and died.
“Any emergency treatment that could improve the survival rate for people like us who live far from specialist care would be a great comfort.”
Professor Kelly said, “Professor Negishi’s research could eventually lead to more people like Scott surviving a heart attack. It could prove particularly important for rural and regional Australians.”
Research funded by the Heart Foundation has helped to make significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease over the past 60 years – including the invention of the pacemaker, the setting up of coronary care units, better cardiac rehabilitation, and more effective treatments for high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Media enquiries
Bruce Ransley, Media Adviser
M: 0419 710 083 E: bruce.ransley@heartfoundation.org.au
Or
Fleur Jacobs, Senior National Media Adviser
M: 0427 591 638 E: fleur.jabobs@heartfoundation.org.au
Are you at risk of heart disease?
Are you at risk of heart disease?
Are you at risk of heart disease?
There is no single cause for any one heart condition, but there are risk factors that increase your chance of developing one. ...
Heart Healthy Dinner Plan
Heart Healthy Dinner Plan
Heart Healthy Dinner Plan
Sign up now and discover delicious, easy to follow dinner recipes. Plus shopping lists, tips and other helpful information to make healthy eating easy. ...
Heart Foundation Recovery Support and Resources
Heart Foundation Recovery Support and Resources
Heart Foundation Recovery Support and Resources
Heart Foundation programs and resources to support your recovery....
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Fundraise to save Australian hearts
Join the Heart Foundation community. Together, we can make a real difference for Australian hearts. ...
Aboriginal heart health
Aboriginal heart health
Aboriginal heart health
Visit the St Vincents Hospital NSW and Heart Foundation Aboriginal heart health website for more information...
Support and resources for health care professionals
Support and resources for health care professionals
Support and resources for health care professionals
Our range of clinical and patient support resources are available for you to use in your daily practice....
Help Keep families together this Christmas
Help Keep families together this Christmas
Help Keep families together this Christmas
Together, we can make heart disease history. Donate today to help fund ground-breaking heart research and keep families together this Christmas. ...
Clinical Guidelines
Clinical Guidelines
Clinical Guidelines
Full list of clinical guidlines and references for CVD, heart failure, ACS, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, SCAD and RHD...
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Support us and help save Australian hearts
Join the fight against Australia’s biggest killer by supporting the Heart Foundation. ...
Dairy and your heart health
Dairy and your heart health
Dairy and your heart health
Not all dairy products are equal. Discover different types of dairy foods and their impact on heart health....
Chest x-ray for heart disease
Chest x-ray for heart disease
This test can help your doctor determine if there is anything wrong with your heart....
Smart Heart Guidelines App
Smart Heart Guidelines App
Smart Heart Guidelines App
Access to Australian heart disease guidelines is now free at your fingertips...
Is salt bad for your heart?
Is salt bad for your heart?
Is salt bad for your heart?
Most Australians are eating more than the recommended amounts and this can cause health problems....
After being treated for atrial fibrillation, Boyd is now back on track
After being treated for atrial fibrillation, Boyd is now back on track
After being treated for atrial fibrillation, Boyd is now back on track
Running has been an important part of Boyd's life, so imagine his shock when a heart condition he had never heard of threatened to put a stop to it. ...
Applying for research funding with the Heart Foundation
Applying for research funding with the Heart Foundation
Applying for research funding with the Heart Foundation
Discover more about our various funding programs, requirements, and application dates now....
Supporting SA cardiac patients and health professionals with free resources
Supporting SA cardiac patients and health professionals with free resources
Supporting SA cardiac patients and health professionals with free resources
We want to make it easier for South Australians to lead heart-healthy lives....
Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
The Australian Guideline for Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease (2nd Edition)....
Chicken recipes
Chicken recipes
Chicken recipes
Find heart healthy chicken recipes....
Donate to the Heart Foundation
Donate to the Heart Foundation
Donate to the Heart Foundation
Every dollar that you donate will help fund research, support and programs that help save lives....
MyMarathon
MyMarathon
MyMarathon
The fundraising race where you set the pace. Run, jog or walk MyMarathon at your own pace during October....
Cyril credits cardiac rehab for getting his life back
Cyril credits cardiac rehab for getting his life back
Cyril credits cardiac rehab for getting his life back
Cyril suffered a heart attack in 2015. Cardiac rehab helped get his life back on track. ...
Cardiac Rehabilitation for Health Professionals - Patient Resources
Cardiac Rehabilitation for Health Professionals - Patient Resources
Our programs and initiatives
Our programs and initiatives
Our programs and initiatives
The Heart Foundation delivers innovative, evidence-based programs and initiatives to support and prevent heart disease in Australia...
Support after a heart attack
Support after a heart attack
Support after a heart attack
Many different thoughts may go through your head after a heart attack and you may be presented with complicated medical info. Know where to get support. ...
9 food and heart health myths, busted
9 food and heart health myths, busted
9 food and heart health myths, busted
Let’s dive into nine common food and health myths and the facts behind them....
Exercises to do at home
Exercises to do at home
Exercises to do at home
All you need to know about keeping active during COVID-19....
Heart attack recovery – your first month
Heart attack recovery – your first month
Heart attack recovery – your first month
Explore the Heart Foundation’s guide on what to expect in the first month after your heart attack. ...
What is atrial fibrillation?
What is atrial fibrillation?
What is atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia where your heart beats irregularly and fast....
Pilbara Aboriginal Heart Health Program
Pilbara Aboriginal Heart Health Program
Pilbara Aboriginal Heart Health Program
The program works with local communities to help improve heart health in the Pilbara....
Fit, active and healthy – Sharon wasn’t expecting a heart attack
Fit, active and healthy – Sharon wasn’t expecting a heart attack
Fit, active and healthy – Sharon wasn’t expecting a heart attack
Fit, active and healthy, Sharon wasn’t expecting a heart attack. However, after experiencing a ‘widow maker’, she counts herself lucky....