The American Heart Association and Additional Ventures announced on March 30 a joint commitment of $20 million to improve care for people living with Fontan circulation, a condition resulting from surgery used to treat children with single ventricle heart disease.
Fontan circulation is necessary for children born with only one working heart pump, affecting about six in every 10,000 babies born in the United States each year. While the procedure is lifesaving, it can cause long-term complications that impact multiple organs and lead to sudden severe health issues due to difficulties in monitoring early signs of decline.
The new program will unite clinicians, researchers, and patients to generate scientific insights and develop tools aimed at better guiding care for those living with Fontan circulation. The initiative leverages the American Heart Association's research infrastructure alongside Additional Ventures' expertise in single ventricle strategy.
"People with Fontan circulation often develop complications with other organs in the body including the liver, kidneys and lungs," said Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, chief medical and science officer of the American Heart Association. "The coordination between our two organizations will generate data and insight that can help patients and clinicians better monitor their health and intervene earlier."
Kirstie Keller, PhD, chief executive officer of Additional Ventures said: "While lifesaving, Fontan circulation creates complex, lifelong health challenges for single ventricle heart disease patients that we still do not fully understand. Through this collaboration, we will work with researchers, clinicians and patients to generate the scientific insights and tools needed to predict, detect and manage complications earlier. By building these resources, we hope to enable a more proactive, science-informed approach to lifelong care for Fontan patients."
The six-year plan begins by evaluating current approaches for monitoring Fontan patients; identifying gaps in care; collecting data; improving infrastructure; and involving stakeholders throughout design and implementation phases. The ultimate goal is establishing a foundation that enables proactive rather than reactive healthcare management for people living with Fontan circulation.
