RCTs, national patient surveys and qualitative studies evaluating perceived health and cardiac rehabilitation, among patients with heart disease as well as validation of questionnaires, economic analyses and Cochrane reviews.

I was the Principal Investigator of the COPE-ICD trial. I am the project manager and PI for the CopenHeart project along with Dr. Zwisler (www.CopenHeart.org), a rehabilitation trial including 1000 patients in 4 RCTs evaluating cardiac rehabilitation in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), valve disease, endocarditis, atrial fibrillation and sexual dysfunction. At the Heart Centre we initiated an in-hospital rehabilitation program (RCT design) for patients undergoing CABG. Furthermore, we are conducting a RCT testing cognitive behavioral therapy as treatment strategy for anxious patients with ICD.

I am the Principal Investigator of the DenHeart study (www.DenHeart.dk), a national multicentre survey with register follow up, including all patients discharged from one of the five heart centres in Denmark (approx. 16.000 patients) from April 2013-14.

Heart and Mind

The purpose of this project is to explore the relationship between heart and mind. Four work packages cover related yet different angles of the field of psycho-cardiology from a nursing perspective.

Work package 1: Why do anxious cardiac patients have higher mortality rates?

Work package 2: Can nurse-delivered Cognitive Therapy cure anxiety in cardiac patients?

Work package 3: Broken heart syndrome: pathogenesis and health outcomes

Work package 4: How do children cope when a parent suffers from cardiac disease?

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