Christopher O'Connor
Principal Investigator
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine

Overview

The Duke Heart Failure Program is a world leader in heart failure research, including basic molecular biology, genetics, clinical trials, and resource utilization/health economics.

Recent research activities of the Duke heart failure faculty include:

  • Leading the largest randomized study of surgical therapy ever performed for heart failure
  • Leading the largest study of exercise training in heart failure
  • Leading the largest study of pulmonary artery catheters in patients with advanced heart failure
  • Leading the largest clinical trial ever performed in heart failure
  • Investigating the use of molecular profiling to understand the pathophysiology of advanced heart failure
  • Investigating the role of depression in heart failure
  • Investigating the use of expanded donor criteria to increase access to heart transplantation
  • Investigating the role of ventricular assist devices in improving survival in patients with advanced heart failure who are not candidates for heart transplantation

Selected Publications

  • Felker GM, Rogers JG. Same bridge, new destinations: Rethinking paradigms for mechanical cardiac support in heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Mar 7;47(5):930-2.
  • Felker GM, Milano CA, Yager JE, Hernandez AF, Blue L, Higginbotham MB, Lodge AJ, Russell SD. Outcomes with an alternate list strategy for heart transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2005 Nov;24(11):1781-6.
  • Hernandez AF, Velazquez EJ, Solomon SD, Kilaru R, Diaz R, O'Connor CM, Ertl G, Maggioni AP, Rouleau JL, van Gilst W, Pfeffer MA, Califf RM; VALIANT Registry. Left ventricular assessment in myocardial infarction: the VALIANT registry. Arch Intern Med. 2005 Oct 10;165(18):2162-9.
  • Binanay C, Califf RM, Hasselblad V, O'Connor CM, Shah MR, Sopko G, Stevenson LW, Francis GS, Leier CV, Miller LW; ESCAPE Investigators and ESCAPE Study Coordinators. Evaluation study of congestive heart failure and pulmonary artery catheterization effectiveness: the ESCAPE trial. JAMA. 2005 Oct 5;294(13):1625-33.
  • Jiang W, Kuchibhatla M, Cuffe MS, Christopher EJ, Alexander JD, Clary GL, Blazing MA, Gaulden LH, Califf RM, Krishnan RR, O'Connor CM. Prognostic value of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic heart failure. Circulation. 2004 Nov 30;110(22):3452-6.
  • Felker GM, Adams KF Jr, Gattis WA, O'Connor CM. Anemia as a risk factor and therapeutic target in heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004 Sep 1;44(5):959-66.
  • Anavekar NS, McMurray JJ, Velazquez EJ, Solomon SD, Kober L, Rouleau JL, White HD, Nordlander R, Maggioni A, Dickstein K, Zelenkofske S, Leimberger JD, Califf RM, Pfeffer MA. Relation between renal dysfunction and cardiovascular outcomes after myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 2004 Sep 23;351(13):1285-95.
  • Gattis WA, O'Connor CM, Gallup DS, Hasselblad V, Gheorghiade M; IMPACT-HF Investigators and Coordinators. Predischarge initiation of carvedilol in patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure: results of the Initiation Management Predischarge: Process for Assessment of Carvedilol Therapy in Heart Failure (IMPACT-HF) trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004 May 5;43(9):1534-41.
  • Pfeffer MA, McMurray JJ, Velazquez EJ, Rouleau JL, Kober L, Maggioni AP, Solomon SD, Swedberg K, Van de Werf F, White H, Leimberger JD, Henis M, Edwards S, Zelenkofske S, Sellers MA, Califf RM; Valsartan in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial Investigators. Valsartan, captopril, or both in myocardial infarction complicated by heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, or both. N Engl J Med. 2003 Nov 13;349(20):1893-906.
  • Cuffe MS, Califf RM, Adams KF Jr, Benza R, Bourge R, Colucci WS, Massie BM, O'Connor CM, Pina I, Quigg R, Silver MA, Gheorghiade M; Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (OPTIME-CHF) Investigators. Short-term intravenous milrinone for acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002 Mar 27;287(12):1541-7.

Faculty

Christopher M. O'Connor, MD
Director

Joseph G. Rogers, MD
Medical Director, Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Cardiac Support

Michael S. Cuffe, MD
G. Michael Felker, MD, MHS
Adrian F Hernandez, MD
Paul Rosenberg, MD
Eric J. Velazquez, MD

Contact Information

Office: 7401 Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC, 27710
Campus mail: DUMC Box 3356, Durham, NC, 27710 
Phone: 919-681-6195 
Fax: 919-681-7755