EXIT-CVD

Objective

"EXIT-CVD aims to fundamentally transform cardiovascular disease (CVD) management by enabling early, personalized, and equitable interventions across the CVD continuum. Recognizing CVD as a dynamic progression, from risk factors to heart failure and premature death, EXIT-CVD identifies and operationalizes strategic ""exit points"" where disease trajectories can be disrupted. Through a multidisciplinary, public-private partnership involving academia, Medtech, pharma, SMEs, and patient organizations, the project will integrate state-of-the-art diagnostics (e.g., photon-counting CT, AI-enhanced wearables), digital monitoring, regenerative therapies, and advanced imaging-guided interventions. Innovations are embedded in a digitally enabled, FAIR-compliant data platform aligned with the European Health Data Space (EHDS), ensuring real-world scalability and regulatory readiness. EXIT-CVD rigorously applies implementation science through the frameworks RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) which evaluates interventions along five core dimensions relevant to health systems uptake, and PROCTOR (Implementation Outcomes Framework) which focuses on concrete metrics such as acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, and cost. Additionally, EXIT-CVD adopts an equity-by-design approach to overcome persistent health disparities. Clinical studies target early detection (e.g., wearable blood pressure and AI-Electrocardiogram monitoring), intermediate stratification (e.g., imaging-guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) with Photon-Counting Computed Tomography (PCCT)), and late-stage recovery (e.g., engineered heart muscle transplantation and minimally invasive cardiac surgery supported by mechanical circulatory devices). By co-creating with patients and systematically addressing socioeconomic, gender, and digital access gaps, EXIT-CVD envisions a future where heart disease is not a terminal continuum but a preventable and reversible condition. This project will deliver validated, sustainable, and equitable innovations, positioning Europe at the forefront of cardiovascular health transformation."