Adult Congenital Heart Disease Research Team

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Background

The Montreal Heart Institute’s national center of excellence in adult congenital heart disease was founded in 1989. It is the oldest and largest center in Quebec dedicated to the care of adults with congenital heart disease, and one of the most prominent internationally. The center is unique in the diversity and depth of its expertise, with a highly trained team specialized in all aspects of care, including non-invasive imaging (echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging), arrhythmias, interventional catheter procedures, high-risk pregnancy, pulmonary hypertension, congenital surgery, genetics, and research.

Mission

The Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center is dedicated to providing the highest levels of comprehensive, innovative, and compassionate care to the adult with congenital heart disease. It is committed to the transmission of knowledge and training in multidisciplinary care and to the pursuit of excellence through research. The center promotes regional, national, and international exchanges and collaborations. It is also devoted to providing patients and their family members with support and information to guide them towards improving their quality of life and promoting their own health interests.

Infrastructure and Patient Population

The state-of-the-art Adult Congenital Center is hosted within the Montreal Heart Institute, with dedicated offices, administrators, and clinical and research nurses. The center, along with its partners at Sherbrooke and McGill Universities, co-created the highly tailored and comprehensive CONGENERATE database, where electronic patient records are safeguarded. Nearly 4000 patients are followed by the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center, with a 10-15% increase in patient volume per year. Roughly 45% of new consults involve transferring the care of young adults previously followed in pediatric institutions. Remaining patients are referred from centers across Quebec, other provinces (from British Columbia to Maritimes), the United States, and Europe.

Team members

Dr. Paul Khairy received his medical degree from McGill University and completed internal medicine, cardiology, and adult electrophysiology training at Université de Montréal. He then pursued fellowships at Harvard University in Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Congenital and Pediatric Electrophysiology. In parallel, he obtained Master’s and PhD degrees in epidemiology and biostatistics. In 2004, Dr. Khairy was recruited to the Montreal Heart Institute and awarded a Canada Research Chair in Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Electrophysiology. He has since been appointed tenured Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Research at the Montreal Heart Institute Coordinating Center, and Director of the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center. He maintained a secondary appointment at Harvard University. Dr. Khairy is specialized in the care of adults with congenital heart disease who suffer from arrhythmias. He co-founded and is a past president of the North American Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology (AARCC) and is currently President-Elect of the International Society for Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ISACHD). He has coauthored over 175 articles, >150 abstracts, >25 book chapters, and has edited two textbooks. He received major research grants to advance the care of patients with congenital heart disease.

Dr. Gregor Andelfinger is a specialist in the genetics of congenital heart disease and a pediatric cardiologist. He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center as its genetics consultant in 2012. He has received several research grants to study the genetic determinants of congenital heart disease and genotype-phenotype correlations. He established and leads a province-wide platform for the collection of DNA in patients with congenital heart disease, with a program that encompasses families from across Canada and abroad.
Dr. Anita Asgar is an adult congenital interventional cardiologist and specialist in cardiac MRI. She completed cardiology training at Dalhousie University and interventional cardiology at the Montreal Heart Institute. She then pursued a two-year fellowship in Adult Congenital and Structural Heart Interventions at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, England, where she also trained in cardiac MRI. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in May 2009 and currently directs the Transcatheter Valve Therapy Program. Her research interests include congenital and structural heart disease interventions and cardiac MRI.

Dr. Pierre de Guise is a senior interventional cardiologist. After completing his cardiology training at Université de Montréal he pursued both adult and pediatric fellowships in interventional cardiology. He joined the Montreal Heart Institute staff in 1985 and has been a member of the Adult Congenital Center since its inception in 1989. Throughout his career, Dr. de Guise has held numerous academic positions, including Director of Education at the Montreal Heart Institute (1999-2004) and President of the Examining Board of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (2002-2004). 

Dr. Annie Dore is a non-invasive adult congenital heart specialist. After completing her cardiology training at Université de Sherbrooke and Université de Montréal, she pursued fellowships in echocardiography, pediatric cardiology, and then adult congenital heart disease at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, England. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Heart Center in 1997. Dr. Dore is Director of Education at the Montreal Heart Institute since 2004. Her clinical and research interests include the transitioning of children to adult care, high-risk pregnancy, echocardiography, and the systemic right ventricle.

Dr. Reda Ibrahim is an adult congenital interventional cardiologist. After graduating from the cardiology program at Université de Montréal, he pursued interventional cardiology fellowships in adults (Montreal Heart Institute), children (Sainte-Justine Hospital), and adults with congenital heart disease (Harvard University). He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in 2002 and oversees the interventional cardiology training stream. Dr. Ibrahim has received numerous distinctions for his innovative leadership in adult congenital interventional cardiology, including the designation of “Personality of the Week” by La Presse.

Dr. François Marcotte is a non-invasive adult congenital heart specialist, with expertise in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. After completing his cardiology training at McGill University, he pursued fellowships in echocardiography, adult congenital heart disease, and cardiac MRI at University of Toronto. He directed the adult congenital heart clinic at the Jewish General Hospital from 1991 until 2002, when he joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center. He has received numerous teaching awards, including Université de Montréal Professor of the Year. His research interests include cardiac MRI, exercise, and rehabilitation.

Dr. Lise-Andrée Mercier is a pioneer in the field of adult congenital heart disease. After completing cardiology training at Université de Montréal, she pursued an echocardiography fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute staff in 1978 and founded the Adult Congenital Center in 1989. Under her 20-year directorship, the center assumed its stature as a leading clinical, research, and teaching facility. She has received several life-time achievement awards in recognition of these efforts. Dr. Mercier’s clinical and research interests include high-risk pregnancy and echocardiography.

After completing pediatric cardiology training at Université de Montréal, Dr. Joaquim Miro pursued a fellowship in interventional cardiology in Paris and at Boston Children's Hospital. He currently directs the cardiac cath lab at Ste-Justine and was division chief of cardiology from 2003 to 2010. He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in 2005, where he contributes his expertise in pediatric cardiology. His main clinical and research interest is in congenital interventional cardiology, particularly occlusion devices. He is also dedicated to the international transfer of knowledge, in both academic and humanitarian settings.

Dr. François-Pierre Mongeon is a non-invasive adult congenital heart specialist. After completing cardiology training at Université de Montréal, he pursued specialized fellowships in Adult Congenital Heart Disease (Mayo Clinic) and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard University). He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in February 2011. He holds a Master's degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. His research interests include imaging of congenital and acquired heart disease by echocardiography and MRI, outcomes in adults with congenital heart disease, and clinical epidemiology. 

Dr. Nancy Poirier is a cardiac surgeon trained at Université de Montréal, who then pursued fellowships in pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery at University of Toronto and the Cleveland Clinic. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in 2000, and also directs Pediatric Cardiac Transplantation and Ventricular Assist Device Programs at Ste-Justine. Her research interests cover all aspects of pediatric and adult congenital heart surgery. Co-founder of “au Coeur du Monde”, Dr. Poirier has headed numerous humanitarian missions, operating on hundreds of children and young adults in Morocco, China, India and, Egypt.

Research projects

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Research Team

The Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital research team consists of all adult congenital caregivers, in addition to a full-time research nurse, clinical nurse, and biostatistician. Through grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), research facilities include 4 fully-equipped work stations for trainees. The multidisciplinary research team has expertise in diverse aspects of adult congenital heart disease, including arrhythmias, hemodynamics, echocardiography, high risk pregnancy, magnetic resonance imaging, genetics, cardiac surgery, and epidemiology and biostatistics. Research is supported by grants from the CFI (>$7M), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ), Genome Canada, the Canada Research Chairs program, the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health research (NIH).

Multicenter Research

The Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center has spear-headed several multicenter research projects through various networks, including the Canadian Adult Congenital Heart (CACH) Network, the Alliance for QUebec Interinstitutional REsearch (ACQUIRE), and the North American Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology (AARCC). Members of the Montreal Heart Institute team co-founded ACQUIRE and AARCC networks, and have served as past presidents. Several multi-institutional and multi-national research projects have been coordinated by the associated Montreal Heart Institute Coordinating Center (MHICC). The MHICC consists of over 180 employees, with services that include project, data, contract, and site management, clinical monitoring, biostatistics, safety surveillance, and medical communications. MHICC coordinates clinical trials in over 20 countries.

Publications

Khairy P, Clair M, Fernandes SM, Blume ED, Powell AJ, Newburger JW, Landzberg MJ, Mayer JE. Cardiovascular outcomes following the arterial switch operation for D-transposition of the great arteries. Circulation 2013; [In Press]

Mongeon FP, Gurvitz MZ, Broberg CS, Aboulhosn J, Opotowsky AR, Kay J, Valente AM, Earing MG, Lui GK, Fernandes SM, Gersony DR, Cook S, Grando Ting J, Nickolaus MJ, Landzberg MJ, Khairy P. Aortic root dilation in adults with surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot: a multicenter cross-sectional study. Circulation 2012; [In Press]

Khairy P, Aboulhosn J, Gurvitz MZ, Opotowsky AR, Mongeon FP, Kay J, Valente AM, Earing MG, Lui G, Gersonay DR, Cook S, Grando Ting J, Nickolaus MJ, Webb G, Landzberg MJ, Broberg CS. Arrhythmia burden in adults with surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot. Circulation 2010;122:868-875.

Khairy P, Harris L, Landzberg MJ, Fernandes SM, Barlow A, Mercier LA, Viswanathan S, Chetaille P, Gordon E, Dore A, Cecchin F. Defibrillators and sudden death in transposition of the great arteries with Mustard or Senning baffles. Circulation EP 2008;1:250-257.

Khairy P, Fernandes SM, Mayer JE, Triedman JK, Walsh EP, Lock JE, Landzberg MJ. Long-term survival, modes of death, and predictors of mortality in patients with Fontan surgery. Circulation 2008;117:85-92.

Khairy P, Harris L, Landzberg MJ, Viswanathan S, Barlow A, Gatzoulis MA, Fernandes SM, Beauchesne L, Therrien J, Chetaille P, Gordon E, Vonder Muhll I, Cecchin F. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in tetralogy of Fallot. Circulation 2008;117:363-370.

Khairy P, Landzberg MJ, Gatzoulis MA, Mercier LA, Fernades SM, Côté JM, Lavoie JP, Fournier A, Guerra PG, Frogoudaki A, Walsh EP, and Dore A. Transvenous pacing leads and systemic thromboemboli in patients with intracardiac shunts: a multicenter study. Circulation 2006;113:2391-2397.

Khairy P, Ouyang DW, Fernandes SM, Lee-Parritz A, Economy KE, Landzberg MJ. Pregnancy outcomes in women with congenital heart disease. Circulation. 2006;113:517-24.

Dore A, Houde C, Chan KL, Ducharme A, Khairy P, Juneau M, Marcotte F, Mercier LA. Angiotensin receptor blockade and exercise capacity in adults with systemic right ventricles: a multicenter randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Circulation. 2005;112:2411-6.

Khairy P, Landzberg MJ, Gatzoulis MA, Lucron H, Lambert J, Marçon F, Walsh EP. Value of programmed ventricular stimulation after tetralogy of Fallot repair: a multicenter study. Circulation 2004;109:1994-2004.

Contact

Dr. Paul Khairy
Director, Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center

Team members

Dr. Paul Khairy received his medical degree from McGill University and completed internal medicine, cardiology, and adult electrophysiology training at Université de Montréal. He then pursued fellowships at Harvard University in Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Congenital and Pediatric Electrophysiology. In parallel, he obtained Master’s and PhD degrees in epidemiology and biostatistics. In 2004, Dr. Khairy was recruited to the Montreal Heart Institute and awarded a Canada Research Chair in Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Electrophysiology. He has since been appointed tenured Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Research at the Montreal Heart Institute Coordinating Center, and Director of the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center. He maintained a secondary appointment at Harvard University. Dr. Khairy is specialized in the care of adults with congenital heart disease who suffer from arrhythmias. He co-founded and is a past president of the North American Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology (AARCC) and is currently President-Elect of the International Society for Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ISACHD). He has coauthored over 175 articles, >150 abstracts, >25 book chapters, and has edited two textbooks. He received major research grants to advance the care of patients with congenital heart disease.

Dr. Gregor Andelfinger is a specialist in the genetics of congenital heart disease and a pediatric cardiologist. He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center as its genetics consultant in 2012. He has received several research grants to study the genetic determinants of congenital heart disease and genotype-phenotype correlations. He established and leads a province-wide platform for the collection of DNA in patients with congenital heart disease, with a program that encompasses families from across Canada and abroad.
Dr. Anita Asgar is an adult congenital interventional cardiologist and specialist in cardiac MRI. She completed cardiology training at Dalhousie University and interventional cardiology at the Montreal Heart Institute. She then pursued a two-year fellowship in Adult Congenital and Structural Heart Interventions at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, England, where she also trained in cardiac MRI. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in May 2009 and currently directs the Transcatheter Valve Therapy Program. Her research interests include congenital and structural heart disease interventions and cardiac MRI.

Dr. Pierre de Guise is a senior interventional cardiologist. After completing his cardiology training at Université de Montréal he pursued both adult and pediatric fellowships in interventional cardiology. He joined the Montreal Heart Institute staff in 1985 and has been a member of the Adult Congenital Center since its inception in 1989. Throughout his career, Dr. de Guise has held numerous academic positions, including Director of Education at the Montreal Heart Institute (1999-2004) and President of the Examining Board of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (2002-2004). 

Dr. Annie Dore is a non-invasive adult congenital heart specialist. After completing her cardiology training at Université de Sherbrooke and Université de Montréal, she pursued fellowships in echocardiography, pediatric cardiology, and then adult congenital heart disease at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, England. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Heart Center in 1997. Dr. Dore is Director of Education at the Montreal Heart Institute since 2004. Her clinical and research interests include the transitioning of children to adult care, high-risk pregnancy, echocardiography, and the systemic right ventricle.

Dr. Reda Ibrahim is an adult congenital interventional cardiologist. After graduating from the cardiology program at Université de Montréal, he pursued interventional cardiology fellowships in adults (Montreal Heart Institute), children (Sainte-Justine Hospital), and adults with congenital heart disease (Harvard University). He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in 2002 and oversees the interventional cardiology training stream. Dr. Ibrahim has received numerous distinctions for his innovative leadership in adult congenital interventional cardiology, including the designation of “Personality of the Week” by La Presse.

Dr. François Marcotte is a non-invasive adult congenital heart specialist, with expertise in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. After completing his cardiology training at McGill University, he pursued fellowships in echocardiography, adult congenital heart disease, and cardiac MRI at University of Toronto. He directed the adult congenital heart clinic at the Jewish General Hospital from 1991 until 2002, when he joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center. He has received numerous teaching awards, including Université de Montréal Professor of the Year. His research interests include cardiac MRI, exercise, and rehabilitation.

Dr. Lise-Andrée Mercier is a pioneer in the field of adult congenital heart disease. After completing cardiology training at Université de Montréal, she pursued an echocardiography fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute staff in 1978 and founded the Adult Congenital Center in 1989. Under her 20-year directorship, the center assumed its stature as a leading clinical, research, and teaching facility. She has received several life-time achievement awards in recognition of these efforts. Dr. Mercier’s clinical and research interests include high-risk pregnancy and echocardiography.

After completing pediatric cardiology training at Université de Montréal, Dr. Joaquim Miro pursued a fellowship in interventional cardiology in Paris and at Boston Children's Hospital. He currently directs the cardiac cath lab at Ste-Justine and was division chief of cardiology from 2003 to 2010. He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in 2005, where he contributes his expertise in pediatric cardiology. His main clinical and research interest is in congenital interventional cardiology, particularly occlusion devices. He is also dedicated to the international transfer of knowledge, in both academic and humanitarian settings.

Dr. François-Pierre Mongeon is a non-invasive adult congenital heart specialist. After completing cardiology training at Université de Montréal, he pursued specialized fellowships in Adult Congenital Heart Disease (Mayo Clinic) and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard University). He joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in February 2011. He holds a Master's degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. His research interests include imaging of congenital and acquired heart disease by echocardiography and MRI, outcomes in adults with congenital heart disease, and clinical epidemiology. 

Dr. Nancy Poirier is a cardiac surgeon trained at Université de Montréal, who then pursued fellowships in pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery at University of Toronto and the Cleveland Clinic. She joined the Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center in 2000, and also directs Pediatric Cardiac Transplantation and Ventricular Assist Device Programs at Ste-Justine. Her research interests cover all aspects of pediatric and adult congenital heart surgery. Co-founder of “au Coeur du Monde”, Dr. Poirier has headed numerous humanitarian missions, operating on hundreds of children and young adults in Morocco, China, India and, Egypt.

Research projects

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Research Team

The Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital research team consists of all adult congenital caregivers, in addition to a full-time research nurse, clinical nurse, and biostatistician. Through grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), research facilities include 4 fully-equipped work stations for trainees. The multidisciplinary research team has expertise in diverse aspects of adult congenital heart disease, including arrhythmias, hemodynamics, echocardiography, high risk pregnancy, magnetic resonance imaging, genetics, cardiac surgery, and epidemiology and biostatistics. Research is supported by grants from the CFI (>$7M), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ), Genome Canada, the Canada Research Chairs program, the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health research (NIH).

Multicenter Research

The Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center has spear-headed several multicenter research projects through various networks, including the Canadian Adult Congenital Heart (CACH) Network, the Alliance for QUebec Interinstitutional REsearch (ACQUIRE), and the North American Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology (AARCC). Members of the Montreal Heart Institute team co-founded ACQUIRE and AARCC networks, and have served as past presidents. Several multi-institutional and multi-national research projects have been coordinated by the associated Montreal Heart Institute Coordinating Center (MHICC). The MHICC consists of over 180 employees, with services that include project, data, contract, and site management, clinical monitoring, biostatistics, safety surveillance, and medical communications. MHICC coordinates clinical trials in over 20 countries.

Publications

Khairy P, Clair M, Fernandes SM, Blume ED, Powell AJ, Newburger JW, Landzberg MJ, Mayer JE. Cardiovascular outcomes following the arterial switch operation for D-transposition of the great arteries. Circulation 2013; [In Press]

Mongeon FP, Gurvitz MZ, Broberg CS, Aboulhosn J, Opotowsky AR, Kay J, Valente AM, Earing MG, Lui GK, Fernandes SM, Gersony DR, Cook S, Grando Ting J, Nickolaus MJ, Landzberg MJ, Khairy P. Aortic root dilation in adults with surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot: a multicenter cross-sectional study. Circulation 2012; [In Press]

Khairy P, Aboulhosn J, Gurvitz MZ, Opotowsky AR, Mongeon FP, Kay J, Valente AM, Earing MG, Lui G, Gersonay DR, Cook S, Grando Ting J, Nickolaus MJ, Webb G, Landzberg MJ, Broberg CS. Arrhythmia burden in adults with surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot. Circulation 2010;122:868-875.

Khairy P, Harris L, Landzberg MJ, Fernandes SM, Barlow A, Mercier LA, Viswanathan S, Chetaille P, Gordon E, Dore A, Cecchin F. Defibrillators and sudden death in transposition of the great arteries with Mustard or Senning baffles. Circulation EP 2008;1:250-257.

Khairy P, Fernandes SM, Mayer JE, Triedman JK, Walsh EP, Lock JE, Landzberg MJ. Long-term survival, modes of death, and predictors of mortality in patients with Fontan surgery. Circulation 2008;117:85-92.

Khairy P, Harris L, Landzberg MJ, Viswanathan S, Barlow A, Gatzoulis MA, Fernandes SM, Beauchesne L, Therrien J, Chetaille P, Gordon E, Vonder Muhll I, Cecchin F. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in tetralogy of Fallot. Circulation 2008;117:363-370.

Khairy P, Landzberg MJ, Gatzoulis MA, Mercier LA, Fernades SM, Côté JM, Lavoie JP, Fournier A, Guerra PG, Frogoudaki A, Walsh EP, and Dore A. Transvenous pacing leads and systemic thromboemboli in patients with intracardiac shunts: a multicenter study. Circulation 2006;113:2391-2397.

Khairy P, Ouyang DW, Fernandes SM, Lee-Parritz A, Economy KE, Landzberg MJ. Pregnancy outcomes in women with congenital heart disease. Circulation. 2006;113:517-24.

Dore A, Houde C, Chan KL, Ducharme A, Khairy P, Juneau M, Marcotte F, Mercier LA. Angiotensin receptor blockade and exercise capacity in adults with systemic right ventricles: a multicenter randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Circulation. 2005;112:2411-6.

Khairy P, Landzberg MJ, Gatzoulis MA, Lucron H, Lambert J, Marçon F, Walsh EP. Value of programmed ventricular stimulation after tetralogy of Fallot repair: a multicenter study. Circulation 2004;109:1994-2004.

Contact

Dr. Paul Khairy
Director, Montreal Heart Institute Adult Congenital Center