CAROL Act to Expand Research Funding, Raise Awareness for Valvular Heart Disease

Arlington, VA (Dec. 22, 2022) — President Joe Biden signed into law the Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy (CAROL) Act, legislation introduced by Representative Andy Barr (R-KY) last year to honor the legacy of his wife, Carol Leavell Barr, who passed away in 2020 from sudden cardiac death brought on by mitral valve prolapse, an underlying heart condition that is fatal in .2% of cases.

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) joined over 20 other organizations including the American Heart Association and the Caregiver Action Network endorsing the bill, which provides $28 million to expand research on valvular heart disease and its treatment through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The legislation – which passed both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives by unanimous vote this month – outlines efforts to take action based on research findings, including identifying and disseminating best practices for relevant health care providers and raising awareness of sudden cardiac death as a result of valvular heart diseases through prevention activities.

In a letter earlier this year to Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the supporting societies emphasized the benefits of the legislation, including funding for life-saving research on heart valve disease; increasing efforts for screening, detection, and diagnosis of heart valve disease; and expanding the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry data collection, Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES).

“This bill will fund critical breakthroughs in our understanding of valvular heart disease, improve our knowledge of this poorly understood condition, and someday produce a cure,” said Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D-NY), lead cosponsor of the CAROL Act, in an earlier statement. “I commend Rep. Barr and his family for their incredible strength and for turning grief into action.

Along with SCCT, the CAROL Act was endorsed by Adult Congenital Heart Association; Alliance for Aging Research; American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation; American College of Cardiology; American College of Emergency Physicians; American Heart Association; Association of Black Cardiologists; CardioVisual; Caregiver Action Network; Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF); HealthyWomen; Heart Valve Voice US; Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association; Medical Management Associates, Inc.; Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association; Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions; Society for Women's Health Research; StopAfib.org/American Foundation for Women's Health; Sustainable Cardiovascular Health Equity Development Alliance; The Marfan Foundation; The Mended Hearts. Inc.; Women First Research Coalition; and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.  

About the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

Founded in 2005, the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) is the international professional society devoted to improving health outcomes through effective use of cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT), with members from over 85 countries. SCCT is a community of physicians, scientists and technologists advocating for access, research, education and clinical excellence in the use of CCT. For more information, please visit www.SCCT.org.