MAViS clinic celebrates five years of specialist care for women with chronic and pregnancy-related hypertensive disease
The Manchester Antenatal Vascular Clinic (MAViS) at Saint Mary’s Hospital celebrated its 5th birthday in June, with families who have gone on to have successful pregnancies following specialised care at the clinic.
In the five years since it was set up, MAViS and the team have helped women who have a high risk of hypertension in pregnancy, by providing additional monitoring, scans & support thanks to funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Tommy’s.
The celebration was a chance to catch up with families who had attended the clinic, highlight the outcomes and impact of the clinic’s research and look ahead to future clinical studies.
The MAViS clinic is run by Consultant Obstetrician, Dr Jenny Myers, and a team of specialised midwives who lead the way in antenatal vascular care.
The team has grown a portfolio of clinical research since it launched five years ago, including the Beetroot in Pregnancy Trial for the treatment of chronic hypertension. This study was the first to test the blood pressure lowering effects of beetroot juice as a dietary supplement in pregnancy.
The team have also just launched their CHERRY Trial which will investigate the effects of an amino acid supplement L-Citrulline for the treatment of high blood pressure and prevention of pregnancy complications. Other studies at the clinic have evaluated a new test – placental growth factor (PGF) to determine how it effects clinical care for women with placental disease.
Dr Myers said,
The MAViS clinic team have cared for in excess of 600 women who require additional monitoring throughout their pregnancies. The clinic is able to ensure their blood pressure medication is optimised and that their care is tailored to their individual requirements. I would like to thank all the families who came out to celebrate our study achievements and gave us the opportunity to meet their special new arrivals
Karen and her one year old son Oliver were one of the families who came out to celebrate with the team. Previous to having Oliver, Karen sadly lost her daughter, Chloe, two days after she was born. She had started to lose hope when a subsequent pregnancy was high risk. It was then that Karen was referred to the clinic for specialist treatment and only had high praise for the team.
