Circulatory Failure Program

The Circulatory Failure Program in the Cardiovascular Research Center is highly active in both basic and clinical investigations aimed at improving the diagnosis and care of people with all forms of circulatory failure. Ongoing studies extend from the bench and preclinical models to the clinics, wards and invasive cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Special interests in the Circulatory Failure Program include gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms and treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a disease affecting half the patients with heart failure but for whom there is no effective treatment.

Novel diagnostics and therapeutics

In the Cardiorenal Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic researchers are developing unique biomarkers and testing novel peptide-based and gene-therapy-based strategies to better treat patients with heart failure and to prevent heart failure in patients at risk.

Hemodynamics

The research team in the Circulatory Failure Program uses gold standard invasive hemodynamic methods to better understand disease mechanisms and treatments in the human catheterization laboratory. In addition, new clinical trials are underway to test novel therapies for pulmonary hypertension.

Devices

In the realm of cardiac replacement therapy, Cardiovascular Research Center investigators have advanced the field through better understanding of the impact of ventricular assist devices and novel approaches to immunosuppression in patients undergoing cardiac transplantation.

Cell therapy

Through collaborations with the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics and the Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic, the Circulatory Failure Program is exploring novel approaches for heart failure that involve cell therapy.