The Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation (IRMF) has approved funding for three projects submitted in the second quarter of 2019. The research projects will attempt to discover a set of observable characteristics of a type of heart failure in adult ICU patients with sepsis, implement a series of intervention activities to improve hand hygiene compliance, and study the heart valve in patients who received a TAVR or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement to understand exactly how well the TAVR procedures have succeeded.
- Sarah J. Beesley, MD, of the pulmonary division at Intermountain Medical Center, will receive $59,991 to discover a set of observable characteristics of septic cardiomyopathy, a type of heart failure, in adult ICU patients with sepsis. Sepsis is harmful microorganisms in the blood and tissue. Using a combination of echocardiogram tests and prospective studies, a database will be built to define different patterns of heart function in patients with sepsis.
- Bill Beninati, MD, of the intensive care unit at LDS Hospital, will receive $60,000 to implement a series of intervention activities to improve hand hygiene compliance. The hand washing activities will be monitored by an AI computer system to determine if the proper protocols are being performed. The technology has been installed at LDS Hospital as part of a master collaboration agreement with Intermountain and Stanford University "Partnership in AI-Assisted Care". The findings of this study will help reduce risk for hospital-acquired infections.
- Brian Whisenant, MD, of cardiology at Intermountain Medical Center, will receive $36,786 to study the heart valve in patients who received a TAVR or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement to understand exactly how well these procedures have succeeded. This information will be very useful in determining whether this type of procedure is indicated in the future and will also likely provide information that may help in improving the success of future such procedures.
The Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation was founded nearly 50 years ago by a group of forward-thinking physicians to provide seed grants to researchers with innovative ideas. Since its founding, through the generosity of donors, IRMF has awarded more than $13 million to 486 projects – laying the groundwork for clinical breakthroughs and significant advances related to a host of wide-ranging conditions such as heart disease, cancer, depression, and dementia.
For information on eligibility or the application process, please contact Jenn Mason with at IRMF at jenn.mason@imail.org or (801) 507-2040.