Posted on Monday August 12, 2013
Lakeridge Health and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) are moving forward with plans for a research project on resuscitation from a heart attack after receiving a highly competitive grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).
The joint submission beat out more than 170 applicants from across Canada for one of two project awards in the area of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. The planning grant will be used to establish the Durham Region Resuscitation Research Collaborative. Led by Dr. Randy Wax, Section Chief of Critical Care at Lakeridge Health, Dr. Kirsten Burgomaster, Research Manager at Lakeridge Health, and Dr. Brenda Gamble, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at UOIT, the goal of the collaborative will be to improve the outcome of those who suffer from a heart attack in the community. It will also look at risk factors for heart attack, prevention and treatment during every step of care.
“Sudden cardiac arrest is a common, but potentially reversible cause of death,” said Dr. Gamble. “This project will explore the creation of a community-based resuscitation research to establish research priorities and leverage health care and academic strengths across Durham Region. Input from patients and family members will be a key component of the collaborative.”
Although the collaborative is based in Durham Region, the intent is to engage experts nationally and internationally and to build on existing knowledge about cardiac resuscitation.
"By saving more lives in Durham Region, we will save more lives in other communities throughout Canada by sharing the lessons we learn here,” says Dr. Wax, also the Medical Director of Academic Affairs at Lakeridge Health. “This project will also bring together organizations, researchers, clinicians, patients and families to demonstrate the current strength and future potential of Durham Region as an important site for health research in Canada."
