Grant: Operating Grant

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in Canada; however, it can often be managed successfully using procedures to treat blocked heart vessels. Although people with kidney disease are a group who are at high risk of heart disease and its complications, several studies demonstrate that people with kidney disease are 20-50% less likely to receive these heart procedures. Heart procedures are often avoided in people with kidney disease because of the fear that these procedures may make their kidney function worse, and also because patients and their doctors often fail to recognize the high risks of heart disease when it is accompanied by kidney disease. The purpose of this project is to develop and evaluate a risk prediction tool that will help patients and their doctors better understand each individual's long-term kidney and heart health risks after a heart attack. Such a tool will help provide the information necessary to make better treatment decisions for people with kidney disease who have had a heart attack. To achieve these objectives we will undertake a project to link heart and kidney data in Alberta and British Columbia to develop such a prediction tool, and ensure that it performs accurately. The final result will be a user friendly tool that can be used by patients and doctors to understand an individual's risks and the benefits of different treatment opinions.