Stopping heart-protecting medicines for older veterans with and without Alzheimer's in nursing homes
Deprescribing Cardiovascular Medications among Persons with and without Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias in Long-Term Care
This project compares outcomes when common heart-protecting medicines like aspirin and statins are stopped versus continued for older VA nursing home residents with and without Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Palo Alto Veterans Instit for Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Palo Alto, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11472075 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or a loved one are an older veteran living in a VA nursing home, this work looks at what happens when doctors stop preventive heart medicines such as aspirin or statins compared with continuing them. The team will use medical and pharmacy records from about 150,000 residents aged 65 and older across VA nursing homes to track hospital visits, side effects, survival, and other outcomes. Researchers will compare residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to those without dementia to see who benefits or is harmed by deprescribing. The goal is to give practical information families and clinicians can use when deciding whether to stop these medicines.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are veterans aged 65 or older living in VA nursing homes who are taking preventive cardiovascular medicines like aspirin or statins, including those with or without Alzheimer's disease.
Not a fit: People younger than 65, non-veterans or those not living in VA nursing homes, people not taking preventive heart medicines, or patients with clear ongoing heart disease indications for continued therapy are unlikely to be included or directly benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help doctors and families make safer, more personalized choices about stopping heart medicines for older adults, especially those with dementia.
How similar studies have performed: Only a small number of randomized deprescribing trials exist and evidence about stopping cardioprotective drugs in frail older adults is limited, so this large VA cohort is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Palo Alto, United States
- Palo Alto Veterans Instit for Research — Palo Alto, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Christine Kee — Palo Alto Veterans Instit for Research
- Study coordinator: Liu, Christine Kee
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.