FHU CARNAVAL

 Our Unit is the steering member of the FHU CARNAVAL, an University Hospital consortium dedicated to patient care, education, dissemination and exploitation in valvulopathy and heart failure fields.

Early vascular alterations, particularly endothelial dysfunction and arterial calcification, play a major role in the development, progression and worsening of cardiovascular diseases through a continuous remodeling process, especially in the field of aortic stenosis and heart failure (HF). However, this link remains unclear, and the characterization and identification of new early markers in this context is of paramount importance, and requires an approach that takes into account the full continuum of development of these pathologies from the earliest phases (arterial alterations, aortic sclerosis) to the latest events (heart failure, aortic stenosis).
The aim of our FHU is to identify new diagnostic and prognostic markers (biological and/or imaging biomarkers) of early cardiovascular remodeling leading to aortic stenosis and HF. This is made possible by the association, within this FHU, of partners from the 4 regions/University Hospitals covering the Northwest of France (G4: Amiens, Caen, Lille and Rouen), covering a population of over 9 million inhabitants. New Partners in this collaborative network include representatives from a patient organisation, and stakeholders in ethical reflextion, Espace de réflexion éthique de Normandie - EREN. This consortium provides unique complimentary approaches and expertise, both preclinical and clinical, in the fields on endothelial function, arterial calcifications, valvular disease/ percutaneous heart valve therapy, diagnostic and treatment of heart failure, and cardiac imaging.