Implementing the HEARTS Act

 

The Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, and Research, and AED Training in the Schools (HEARTS) Act provides a bipartisan framework to improve cardiac emergency preparedness in schools, expand CPR and AED training, and strengthen cardiomyopathy awareness and research.

 

Sudden cardiac arrest affects more than 350,000 people in the United States each year, and only about 10% survive. Immediate CPR and rapid access to an AED dramatically improve outcomes. The HEARTS Act is designed to expand training (particularly in schools) with the goal of equipping a generation of potential lifesavers.

 

HRS has been actively developing guidance and toolkits to support cardiac emergency preparedness and will be in-person on Capitol Hill later this year to provide CPR and AED training to congressional staff. However, full nationwide implementation requires dedicated appropriations.

 

HRS requested:

• $25 million for HHS-administered grants to support school cardiac emergency response planning and AED access;

• $5 million for CDC cardiomyopathy education and risk assessment initiatives; and

• $20 million for NIH cardiomyopathy research and reporting activities authorized in the law.

 

Without funding, these provisions cannot achieve their intended impact.

 

Federal Research Is the Foundation of EP

 

The letter also underscores the importance of sustained NIH investment, particularly through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

 

Beyond sudden cardiac arrest, heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation affect millions of Americans and significantly contribute to stroke, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. Modern electrophysiology, including catheter ablation, ICDs, pacemakers, and genetic risk stratification, has been built on decades of federally supported research.

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NIH funding continues to support investigator-initiated EP research nationwide, including:

• Multi-million-dollar grants studying the molecular and metabolic drivers of atrial fibrillation;

• Research exploring genomic and proteomic mechanisms underlying arrhythmias; and

• Clinical trial infrastructure that has defined standards of care in device therapy and arrhythmia management.

 

These investments translate directly into improved patient outcomes. The therapies delivered in EP laboratories across the country trace their origins to federally supported discovery science and clinical research networks.

 

Protecting the Research Pipeline

 

Electrophysiology remains a rapidly evolving, technology-driven subspecialty. Continued progress depends on stable NIH support to retain physician-scientists, sustain multicenter trials, develop next-generation device and mapping technologies, advance precision medicine for inherited cardiomyopathies, and responsibly evaluate emerging tools such as AI-driven diagnostics.

 

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. A predictable and robust federal commitment to NIH and NHLBI ensures that advances in electrophysiology continue to improve survival and quality of life for patients nationwide.

 

HRA and HRS will continue to engage with congressional offices throughout the FY 2027 appropriations process and advocate for policies that strengthen research, preparedness, and patient care in heart rhythm medicine.