Structural heart research
Established in 1995, The Alfred's Structural Heart Program has grown into one of Australia's most extensive and advanced programs in this field.
The team began with early transcatheter heart procedures and became pioneers of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) starting in 2008, completing their 1,000th case in 2022.
The Alfred in Melbourne is a leader in structural heart disease research, with a comprehensive program that integrates clinical practice, innovative therapies, and academic inquiry
The program is led by Professor Tony Walton and includes a multidisciplinary team of interventional cardiologists, researchers, PhD candidates, structural heart fellows, and research nurses. Their work spans both investigator-driven and commercially sponsored international clinical trials.
The Structural Heart Program research covers international commercially sponsored trials and site Investigator driven research. The research program has consistently made a significant academic contribution with international journal publications, conferences presentations and involvement in international clinical trials across all Structural Heart areas.
Research focus
Our areas of research focus are the assessment of new treatments and devices for the treatment of all valvular cardiac conditions and Interventional procedures.
All phases of trials from first in human to post market studies are facilitated.
If you are interested in becoming involved with one of our clinical trials, please contact one of our helpful research team members for further information.
The team
Head: Professor Antony Walton
Sub Onvestigators: A/Prof Dion Stub, Dr Nay Min Htun, Dr Shane Nanayakkara and A/Prof Sonny Palmer, Dr Samer Noaman
Research nurses: Jovell Che, Genevieve Haines, Elisha Gartner, Jillian Pedetti and Tracey Shanks
Professor Tony Walton is Deputy Director and Head of Catheter Laboratory in the Department of Cardiology.
Dion is an Interventional Cardiologist and clinician scientist specialising in coronary and structural heart intervention.
Dr Nay Htun is an interventional cardiologist, specialising in structural heart and complex coronary interventions at The Alfred.
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Dr Shane Nanayakkara is an Interventional cardiologist at The Alfred, specialising in minimally invasive treatment of coronary and structural heart disease, with a research focus on the application of artificial intelligence in cardiology.
Dr Samer Noaman is an interventional cardiologist with a subspecialty in advanced coronary and structural heart disease management.
Tracey Shanks is an experienced Registered Nurse/Study coordinator currently specialising in Structural Heart Research Projects.
Current trials open to enrolments
Envision
The objective of ENVISION is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Navitor Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) System for treating patients with symptomatic, severe native aortic stenosis who are considered intermediate or low risk for surgical mortality.
Find out more at ClinicalTrials.govVantage (Valve in Valve cohort only)
The VANTAGE clinical trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Navitor valve in patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis who are at intermediate or low risk of surgical mortality. This trial will also evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Navitor valve in a valve-in-valve application.
Find out more at ClinicalTrials.govVista
The VISTA Study will evaluate the safety, performance, and long-term durability of the Navitor valve in a real-world setting.
Find out more at ClinicalTrials.govExpand II
Multi-center, international, prospective, randomized study. Subjects will be randomized to either transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the Evolut PRO+ TAVR System, or Evolut FX System, and guideline-directed management (GDMT) or GDMT alone.
Find out more at ClinicalTrials.govHighlife
Study to evaluate the feasibility, safety and performance of the HighLife trans-septal Transcatheter Mitral Valve in patients with moderate-severe and severe mitral regurgitation who are at high risk for surgical treatment.
Find out more at ClinicalTrials.govLadera
This study evaluates the safety and performance of the Ladera Medical suture-mediated large bore closure (LBC) system in gaining post procedure hemostasis in subjects undergoing interventional catheterization procedures using a large-bore procedure sheath.
Find out more at ClinicalTrials.govSpyral Affirm
The purpose of this single-arm interventional study is to evaluate the long-term safety, efficacy, and durability of the Symplicity Spyral system in subjects treated with renal denervation.
Find out more at ClinicalTrials.govPublications
Ahmed M Al-Kaisey, Ramanathan Parameswaran, Christina Bryant, Robert D Anderson, Joshua Hawson, David Chieng, Louise Segan, Aleksandr Voskoboinik, Hariharan Sugumar, Geoffrey R Wong, Sue Finch, Stephen A Joseph, Alex McLellan, Liang-Han Ling, Joseph Morton, Paul Sparks, Prashanthan Sanders, Geoffrey Lee, Peter M Kistler, Jonathan M Kalman
(2023), JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, 330(10), 925-933
Bray, Janet Elizabeth; Howell, Stuart Christopher; Nehme, Ziad; Buttery, Amanda; Stub, Dion Ashley; Cartledge, Susan Helen; Finn, Judith
(2023), Heart Lung and Circulation, 32, 497-505
Dawson, Luke Peter; Nehme, Emily Patricia; Nehme, Ziad; Bloom, Jason Elliott; Okyere, Daniel; Cox, Shelley; Anderson, David John; Stephenson, Michael William; Lefkovits, Jeffrey; Taylor, Andrew; Kaye, David Martin; Smith, Karen; Stub, Dion Ashley
(2023), EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL-QUALITY OF CARE AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES, 9, 583-591
