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

December 20, 2022—The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) announced that the Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy (CAROL) Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden after receiving unanimous votes for passage in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

The legislation was introduced by Representative Andy Barr (R-KY) last year to honor the legacy of his wife, Carol Leavell Barr, who died in 2020 from sudden cardiac death brought on by mitral valve prolapse, which is fatal in 0.2% of cases.

The bill was endorsed by SCCT and more than 20 other organizations, including the American Heart Association and the Caregiver Action Network.

According to SCCT, the law provides $28 million to expand research on valvular heart disease and its treatment through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Additionally, the legislation 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 sent earlier this year to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, 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).

Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY), who was lead cosponsor of the CAROL Act, commented in an earlier statement, “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. I commend Rep. Barr and his family for their incredible strength and for turning grief into action.”