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From 1993-97, Gilbert contributed to seven articles published in top peer-reviewed journals, which were then cited 1,157 times, or an average of 165.3 times per paper. When Gilbert heard the news, "it kind of blew me away." He acknowledged that the articles, clinical trials of new drugs to treat chronic heart failure, "are pivotal findings. " As gratifying as the accolades are, Gilbert is proudest of the clinical impact: "Patients now are getting these drugs prescribed because of these papers." About 5 million Americans have chronic heart failure, sometimes referred to as congestive heart failure. Chronic heart failure usually is a progressive condition. Chronic heart failure is on the rise. "It's the most common cause of hospitalization in the elderly," said Gilbert. These hospitalizations cost a total of $8-15 million each year, more than twice the cost of hospitalizations for all forms of cancer. Fortunately, as reported in the high-impact papers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta-adrenergic receptor (beta) blockers not only treat the symptoms of chronic heart failure, but also reverse the progression. "Taken together, these drugs will reduce the annual rate of death from heart failure by 50 percent," said Gilbert. |
