ProHArt HUCFF UFRJ - Arterial Hypertension Program

What ProHArt HUCFF UFRJ - Arterial Hypertension Program does

ProHArt is a specialized healthcare and research program at the Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho (HUCFF) of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), created in April 1999 to address the diagnostic and treatment gap for patients with resistant and refractory arterial hypertension in Brazil's public healthcare network (SUS). The program operates an outpatient clinic across three weekly shifts, a nursing consultation service, and a full suite of cardiovascular diagnostic services — 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (MAPA, 16 devices, 64 exams/week), residential blood pressure monitoring (MRPA, 20 devices, 20 exams/week), 24-hour Holter ECG (8 devices), pulse wave velocity measurement, resting ECG, and carotid ultrasound — supported by two specialized laboratories: LabSONO (4-bed polysomnography and CPAP titration clinic for obstructive sleep apnea) and LabMICRO (flow-mediated dilation, forearm plethysmography, and Laser Doppler microvascular reactivity). Its research portfolio spans a 10+ year prospective cohort of 1,000+ resistant hypertension patients, studies on aortic stiffness, obstructive sleep apnea, inflammatory biomarkers, pharmacogenetics, and non-pharmacological interventions, alongside a clinical practice guideline now in its 7th edition (2023).

ProHArt is not a commercial entity. It is a government state entity under the federal public university system, and all patient services are provided free of charge through SUS. The program is funded through research grants, fellowships, and institutional support from Brazilian government agencies (FINEP, CNPq, FAPERJ) and the corporate sponsor Petrobrás. It generates no direct revenue from patients and has no pricing model. Its customer base is effectively the SUS referral network, with patients referred from basic health units (UBS) and other HUCFF specialties.

The program has built international academic collaborations with the University of Leuven (Jan Staessen, multicenter studies and INSPiRED Consortium), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (David Calhoun, hyperaldosteronism), the Universidad de la República in Uruguay (Jose Boggia), and the Université Paris-Sud-11 (Christophe Sola, pharmacogenetics). In 2011, it became the first Center of Excellence in Arterial Hypertension in Brazil and the second in South America recognized by the European Society of Hypertension. The program is embedded in a CAPES Note 7 postgraduate program, training master, doctoral, and undergraduate students.

Name

ProHArt HUCFF UFRJ - Arterial Hypertension Program

Legal name

ProHArt - Programa de Hipertensão Arterial Resistente do Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Website

https://prohart.hucff.ufrj.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ProHArt is a public university hospital program at HUCFF-UFRJ that provides free specialized diagnosis, treatment, and research for resistant arterial hypertension patients within Brazil's public healthcare system (SUS), supported by government grants and a 10+ year cohort study.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialized Hypertension Healthcare Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAKABAH

Hypertension & Ambulatory Blood Pressure Care

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Cardiology & Vascular Medicine

SECONDARYHLAKABAF

Preventive Cardiology & Lipidology

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Cardiology & Vascular Medicine

SECONDARYHLAGAAAA

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Contract Research Organizations (CRO)

SECONDARYHLAGAAAK

Real-World Evidence (RWE), HEOR & Epidemiology CROs

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Contract Research Organizations (CRO)

Keywords

• Resistant hypertension care
• Cardiovascular diagnostics
• Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
• Polysomnography services
• Hypertension clinical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio de Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Healthcare System Funding: As a university hospital program within Brazil's public healthcare system (SUS), ProHArt receives government funding through research grants, fellowships, and institutional support from UFRJ, with no direct revenue generation from patients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ProHArt is a specialized academic healthcare program at Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho (HUCFF-UFRJ) that delivers outpatient clinical care, specialized cardiovascular diagnostics (24-hour ambulatory and home blood pressure monitoring, Holter, ECG, pulse wave velocity, carotid ultrasound), sleep medicine (polysomnography and CPAP), and microcirculation assessment for patients with resistant and refractory arterial hypertension. The program combines clinical care with longitudinal cohort research, graduate medical training, and publication of standardized clinical protocols, operating under Brazil's public healthcare system (SUS).

Product overview

ProHArt is a specialized healthcare research program at Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho (HUCFF-UFRJ) dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and research of resistant and refractory arterial hypertension. The program operates a multi-service clinical infrastructure comprising an outpatient clinic (Atendimento Ambulatorial), nursing consultation, and a full suite of diagnostic services — including 24-hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (MAPA), Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (MRPA), 24-hour Holter ECG, Pulse Wave Velocity (VOP), resting ECG, and carotid ultrasound — supported by two specialized laboratories: LabSONO (polysomnography/sleep medicine) and LabMICRO (microcirculation). Its research portfolio spans six active lines of investigation (cohort study, aortic stiffness, obstructive sleep apnea, inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein, and non-pharmacological interventions) conducted under a graduate/doctoral training program (CAPES-rated 7), alongside a clinical practice guideline publication now in its 7th edition (2023).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Atendimento Ambulatorial (Outpatient Clinic) Outpatient clinical care for patients with resistant arterial hypertension, including first-time visits and regular follow-up appointments, delivered across three weekly shifts within HUCFF-UFRJ.
• Consulta de Enfermagem (Nursing Consultation) Nursing consultation service delivered across three shifts to improve therapeutic adherence, schedule complementary exams, and provide exam preparation guidance, including a monthly medication compartmentalization box system.
• MAPA - 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring using DynaMAPA-Cardios devices, evaluating daytime and nighttime blood pressure, circadian rhythm patterns, and white-coat effect; 16 devices performing 64 exams per week.
• MRPA - Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Residential blood pressure monitoring using OMRON-HEM705CP devices, recording morning and evening measurements over 5 days to identify white-coat and masked hypertension and evaluate antihypertensive therapy; 20 devices performing 20 exams per week.
• HOLTER - 24-Hour Holter ECG 24-hour ambulatory ECG using CardioFlash+ devices to identify cardiac dysautonomia and atrial/ventricular electrical instability; 8 devices available.
• VOP - Pulse Wave Velocity Non-invasive arterial stiffness assessment using Complior (Artech Medical) and SphygmoCor (AtCor Medical) devices; evaluates aortic pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, central systolic and pulse pressure.
• ECG - Resting Electrocardiogram Resting 12-lead ECG using CardioSoft (GE Healthcare) for identification of left ventricular hypertrophy, ischemic changes, conduction disorders, and arrhythmias; performed routinely on cohort patients annually.
• US Carótida - Carotid Ultrasound Two-dimensional carotid ultrasound using Siemens ACUSON ANTARES to measure intima-media thickness (IMT) for cardiovascular risk stratification.
• LabSONO - Sleep Laboratory Polysomnography sleep laboratory with 4 beds and BrainNet BNT Poli equipment for diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome, including CPAP titration, and a dedicated CPAP clinic for patient follow-up.
• LabMICRO - Microcirculation Laboratory Microcirculation research laboratory with Hokanson AI6 plethysmograph and PeriScan PIM 3 Doppler system, performing flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, forearm plethysmography, and Laser Doppler microvascular reactivity assessments.
• Resistant Hypertension Cohort Study Ten-year longitudinal cohort study of 1,000 resistant hypertension patients evaluating cardiovascular risk predictors through MAPA, ECG, and renal function parameters, with financing from CNPq, PETROBRÁS/FINEP, and FAPERJ.
• Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertension Standardized clinical protocol for initial evaluation and treatment of hypertension, in its 7th edition (2023), with educational purposes for medical students, residents, and postgraduate researchers, and to standardize clinical information.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24.2% of patients seen in the Internal Medicine outpatient clinic are hypertensive, with 70% classified as high cardiovascular risk (Risk C per JNC VI). Only 27% had BP controlled before ProHArt intervention.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundação Oswaldo CruzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership for pharmacogenetics research line in arterial hypertension and ongoing doctoral thesis development in this research area.
• Instituto de Biofísica - IBCCF, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica - IBqM, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas - ICB, Faculdade de Farmácia (UFRJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership under CNPq-FAPERJ PRONEX 2009 call, involving Renal Biochemistry Laboratory, Cellular Biochemistry Laboratory, Cellular Pathology Laboratory, and Enzymology Laboratory.
• Prof. Jan Staessen - Universidade de LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanning of multicenter studies in resistant hypertension and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. INSPiRED Consortium (Investigator-Steered Project on Intravascular Renal Denervation for Management of Drug-Resistant Hypertension) member.
• Prof. David Calhoun - Universidade do Alabama em BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on studies in hyperaldosteronism and resistant hypertension.
• Prof. Jose Boggia - Universidad de la Republica del UruguayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudies in arterial hypertension and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
• Prof. Christophe Sola - Université Paris Sud-11minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharacterization of CYP2D6 genetic variants in therapeutic response to beta-blockers in resistant hypertension patients, developing liquid microarray technology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia: São Paulo-based public reference cardiology hospital offering specialized hypertension and cardiovascular care and clinical research in Brazil. Comparable in scope, mission, and SUS positioning.
• InCor - Instituto do Coração (HC-FMUSP): Heart institute at the University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, offering specialized hypertension and cardiovascular care within Brazil's public healthcare system. Highly comparable as a Brazilian public academic cardiovascular center of excellence.
• Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre - Hypertension Program: Federal university hospital in southern Brazil with a renowned hypertension outpatient program, integrated into SUS, with active clinical research and postgraduate training. Comparable as a public SUS academic hypertension center.

Broad incumbents

• Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein - Hypertension Center: Leading private Brazilian hospital with specialized cardiovascular and hypertension programs. Comparable in clinical excellence for resistant hypertension, though operates in the private/insurance market rather than SUS.
• Mayo Clinic - Division of Nephrology and Hypertension: Major US academic medical center with a flagship hypertension clinic and ESH Center of Excellence. Comparable as a multidisciplinary academic hypertension program, though operating at far greater scale and within a different healthcare system.

Others

• European Society of Hypertension - Centers of Excellence Network: International scientific society that grants the Center of Excellence designation to programs like ProHArt. Peer in the sense of governing/credentialing body for ESH-recognized hypertension programs worldwide.
• Sociedade Brasileira de Hipertensão (SBH): Brazilian Hypertension Society that disseminates guidelines, certifies professionals, and convenes research collaborations. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant for hypertension research and standards in Brazil.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prohart-hucff-ufrj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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