Duke Health is expanding the full spectrum of advanced heart failure (HF) care to Wake County, with multiple locations for cardiology, electrophysiology, and procedures. “In Wake County, we have the opportunity to care for patients with all phenotypes of heart failure — general, infiltrative, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathies — and evaluate patients for advanced heart failure therapies,” says advanced HF specialist Benjamin H. Trichon, MD, medical director of Heart Failure at Duke Raleigh Hospital, a campus of Duke University Hospital.

Early referral is essential to ensuring patients have access to the full range of heart failure treatment options. “Some patients with HF progress to the point where they’re no longer a candidate for LVAD [left ventricular assist devices] or transplant,” says Stuart D. Russell, MD, regional director of Heart Failure at Duke Health. “We’re happy to take a look at patients with new onset HF or worsening HF or who have trouble titrating medications.”

Comprehensive medical therapy is the foundation of heart failure care. With pharmacists now on-site, Duke’s Wake County locations will help get patients with HF on guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). “A full-time pharmacist on our campus can titrate and manage patients to reach GDMT more effectively than other providers,” says Trichon. “They will also be available to help initiate and titrate GLP-1 RA and other medications with potential HF benefits.”

In addition to the latest medical therapies, Duke offers options for device therapies, from CardioMEMS (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL) and remote monitoring to devices like Barostim (CVRx, Minneapolis) and cardiac contractility modulation (Impulse Dynamics, Marlton, NJ). Selecting the right device therapy at the right time is vital to effective treatment, and Duke’s treatment paradigm strives to deliver the care to ensure patients feel better and live longer.

Clinical trials give patients access to promising new therapies before they become widely available. As an academic medical center, Duke is one of the few places in Wake County to offer clinical trials, with a broad HF portfolio including medication, device, and procedural studies across the HF disease spectrum. “On the Raleigh campus, we can now enroll patients, follow their progress, and process specimens for many of Duke’s clinical trials,” says Trichon.

These studies bring cutting-edge advancements to the patients who need them most while providing a path forward for future patients. “Clinical trials may help patients avoid the need for advanced therapies,” Russell adds.

No matter what level of care patients need, Duke physicians collaborate with referring providers to give patients optimal continuity and care. “We want to have a collaborative approach with open communication,” Trichon explains.

As Duke continues to add more locations and providers in Wake County, patients now have more access to care closer to home. “We’ve grown our resources and can leverage our institutional infrastructure and options to provide full-service HF care for Wake County patients more easily than ever before,” Trichon concludes.