Thanks to your donations, we have committed over £90,000 to fund a new cardiac ultrasound machine for the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at Leeds General Infirmary.

Leeds is at the forefront of research into heart disease, established as a leading centre in the UK, with over 50 active trials that use a range of diagnostic equipment.

Our funding has enabled the team to purchase a second cardiac ultrasound scanner, also known as an ‘echo’ machine. This means that even more patients have the opportunity to take part in groundbreaking clinical trials. 

This innovative ultrasound machine has the potential to benefit thousands of patients involved in cardiovascular research trials at Leeds Teaching Hospitals every year.

Images captured by this advanced technology are used to diagnose, assess, monitor and treat patients across all specialties, in particular :heart disease and cancer,playing a vital role in research studies and helping to develop and adopt new treatment pathways for patients.

There have now been almost 750 scans performed using this echo machine, one of the patients who has benefitted said:

“I was diagnosed with a faulty heart valve which meant I needed regular echo scans to monitor its condition. The scans were non-intrusive, didn't take long and were painless. As a result, the condition of the valve was monitored and gave the team valuable information so they could time the replacement of the valve at exactly the right time.”

Now, the team have been able to plan ahead for expansion of the use of cardiac ultrasound in research studies over the next five years, as they develop into a national hub for echocardiography and clinical cardiac science research.

Julie Corrigan, CRF Inclusion Lead at the Leeds Clinical Research Facility told us:

“The echo machine has enabled us to investigate novel echocardiographic imaging biomarkers. These may allow us to detect subtle areas of heart impairment so that we can potentially tailor which cardiac device a patient needs before they have their pacemaker fitted.

“Most recently, the echo machine has been used to determine the presence of heart failure in people with pacemakers and has provided us with unique insight into how heart rate links with heart function. This information can then be used to individualize medication therapy and also programming pacemakers which can improve quality of life, exercise capacity and reduce the risk of worsening heart failure.”