Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario funded research

High blood pressure rates still very high, particularly in some ethnic groups
The Ontario Survey on the Prevalence and Control of Hypertension, is the first Canadian population-based study to measure blood pressures and to determine hypertension rates among some of the most common ethnic groups in Canada (South Asians, East Asians and Blacks). It is also the first study since the Canadian Heart Health Survey in the early 1990s to actually measure blood pressures, rather than relying upon participant’s self-reports. The study involved 2,551 Ontarians aged 20 to 79 years in 16 communities, with the results weighted to reflect the population of Ontario. 

The study by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and Statistics Canada found that in 2006, nearly 1.5 million or 21% of Ontarians are living with hypertension. Of these, more than 500,000 Ontarians were suffering from uncontrolled high blood pressure. Read the full study.

Awarding excellence in heart care
Surgery can vastly improve a person’s quality of life, but for people with pre-existing heart problems, an operation may cause life-threatening complications. Dr. Duminda N. Wijeysundera, a Staff Anesthesiologist at Toronto GeneralHospital, is trying to make surgery safer for patients with heart disease. He is researching whether assessment clinics that people attend before surgery can also help to ensure that patients are prescribed all recommended medications for chronic heart disease. For this work, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario has recently presented the Rick Gallop Award to Dr. Wijeysundera. This award recognizes research excellence and encourages innovation, and is a fitting tribute to Rick Gallop, the Foundation’s former President and CEO known for encouraging novel scientific initiatives. As a result, Foundation-funded research has contributed to major advancements in the fight against heart disease and stroke in Ontario, Canada and around the world.

Preventing cardiac arrest in children
Being able to predict and prevent cardiac arrest in children has great potential to reduce death and disability. In children, cardiac arrest usually follows progressive failure of circulation and breathing. Dr. Christopher Parshuram and his team have developed the Pediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) that can identify children at risk of cardiac arrest with 78% accuracy, giving at least an hour’s notice to the surrounding medical team, giving them valuable time to intensively treat the deteriorating condition and prevent the cardiac arrest. Dr. Parshuram is currently transforming PEWS into a practical bedside tool for hospital environments that has the potential to save many lives and prevent brain damage in critically ill children in hospital.

An open letter to our donors from the research community
You, the Heart and Stroke donors, have played a critical role in enabling research and health education toward the goal of eliminating heart disease and stroke. We are proud supporters of the Foundation because it is committed to getting results that change lives. Read our letter.

Heart and Stroke Foundation funded projects in 2009/2010 (PDF 433K).