Covenant Heart & Vascular Institute doctors have gained national recognition for treatment of patients with heart disease using cutting-edge drugs and devices. Cardiovascular research has been vital to the mission of Covenant Heart Institute

Research done at Covenant Heart Institute involves clinical trials that are used to test the safety and effectiveness of drugs and medical procedures. Research is a partnership between physician investigators and study volunteers, and helps set the standards for patient care. There are potential benefits for clinical trial patients. By participating in a clinical trial, patients can play a more active role in their own healthcare, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research. In addition, our investigators are also practicing physician, and see first-hand the impact of the research that is done at our institution.

Every clinical trial in the must be approved and monitored by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). An IRB is an independent committee of physicians, statisticians, community advocates, and others whose purpose is to ensure that a clinical trial is ethical and the rights of study patients are protected. The Covenant Health System IRB includes nurses, attorneys and community representatives. The IRB also reviews the proposed clinical trial protocol to make sure that the risks involved in participating in a trial are significantly outweighed by the potential benefits. Federal law mandates that all institutions that conducting research involving people must have an IRB that initially approves and periodically reviews the research projects.

Federal regulations and policies protect patients in clinical research trials, ensuring that their safety is given the highest priority. Proper performance of research consent and oversight procedures makes demands on the time of already-busy clinical researchers.

If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, you can contact the Covenant Health System IRB office at 806-725-1504.

Covenant Heart Institute has participated in a number of global clinical trials. You can download the list of trials here: CHVI Clinical Study/Research List (pdf)