The field of Cardiology has made tremendous strides to reduce cardiovascular (CV) disease over the past several decades through reduction of risk factors and novel medical treatment to manage disease once present. However, much work is still needed to combat CVD. At the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute we are collecting biological samples from patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for genomic, biochemical, molecular and cellular analyses. It is hoped that future analyses on these samples will help us learn what factors predispose patients to develop cardiovascular disease, cause progression of symptoms and/or predict response to various therapies. Our ultimate goal is to be able to predict long-term clinical outcomes in patients who are living with cardiovascular disease to further reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality rates of CVD.

Bronchial Sample Collection for a Novel Genomic Test

There are two equally important primary hypotheses, which will be tested in two independent parallel, randomized clinical trials. One trial will test the primary hypothesis that intensive medical management differs from the combination of CEA and intensive medical management in preventing the primary endpoint in patients with high-grade asymptomatic carotid stenosis. One trial will test the primary hypothesis that intensive medical management differs from the combination of CAS and intensive medical management in preventing the primary endpoint in patients with high-grade asymptomatic carotid stenosis. In both trials, the primary endpoint is stroke or death within 44 days after randomization or ipsilateral ischemic stroke thereafter at the 4-year time point of follow-up.