Active clinical trials for "Heart and Blood Diseases"

Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent sustained arrhythmia. Catheter ablation is a procedure that is currently used for the treatment of symptomatic atrial fibrillation patients. We have organized a multi-centric national survey of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in order to have a feedback on the type of procedures being performed and the overall results (freedom of atrial fibrillation) over an average follow-up of 18 months.

The aim of the study is to find out prevalence of diabetic macular edema (DME) in patients with diabetes mellitus in Slovak Republic.The outcome of the project will be epidemiology survey, prevalence of wet form of Diabetic Macular Edema in relation to duration of diabetes, type of diabetes, treatment (insulin vs. OAD or combination) etc. and identification of prognostic factors leading to development of DME.

Quantification and preferential sites of arterial wall calcification within the coronary and lower legs arteries will be comared between Pseudo-Xanthoma elasticum(PXE) atients and type 2 diabetics and Chronic Kidney disease.

The investigators will evaluate the determinants of cerebral impairment in patients with non-ischemic heart failure compared to controls, and its relation to cognitive function. They hypothesize that patients with heart failure have impaired brain perfusion and hemodynamic factors are associated with cognitive dysfunction.

The primary objective of the study is to validate an EEG base algorithm system to detect and monitor changes in cerebral electrophysiological parameters as compared to clinical evaluation in patients undergoing Carotid Endarterectomy. The secondary objectives is measure time from ICA clamping to algorithm asymmetry detection, time from clinical deterioration to algorithm asymmetry detection Thi study is a prospective, open label, single arm, self control, single center study. This study will be conducted in 50 subjects according to the inclusions/exclusions criteria.

Stroke is an important cause of perioperative morbidity and mortality, particularly in patients > 60 years. In cardiac, neurological and carotid surgery the incidence is known to be high (2.2-5.2%). However, little is known regarding perioperative stroke following other types of surgery including general, urological, orthopedic, thoracic and gynecological procedures. We therefore propose to undertake a multicenter, observational cohort study, to determine the current incidence of, the risk factors for, and outcome associated with perioperative stroke in patients undergoing non-cardiac and non-neurological surgery.

Myocardial infarction (MI) outcomes strictly depend on the time to reponed the infarct-related coronary artery. Networks have been activated in the last years in many countries to achieve fast track access of patients with ST-elevation MI to hospital with h24 primary PCI availability or directly to Cath Labs. From 2011 a regional STEMI network have been formally activated in Piedmont. The aim of our registry is to monitor the activity of the STEMI network in the large suburban area of Novara (population of about 800.000 subjects).

The AtheroRemo-IVUS study aims to investigate the relation of coronary plaque phenotype and vulnerability as determined by intravascular ultrasound and near infrared spectroscopy with genetic profile and novel circulating biomarkers. AtheroRemo-IVUS is a prospective, observational, cohort study of patients who underwent coronary catheterization for acute coronary syndrome or stable angina pectoris. Prior to the catheterization procedure, blood samples were drawn for biomarker measurements and genetic analyses. Subsequent to the catheterization procedure, intravascular ultrasound is performed in a non-culprit coronary artery. In patients who are also participating in the AtheroRemo-NIRS substudy, near-infrared spectroscopy is additionally performed in the same non-culprit vessel. Primary endpoint is the presence of vulnerable plaque as determined by intravascular ultrasound. Secondary endpoint is long-term incidence of major adverse cardiac events. Results from AtheroRemo-IVUS are expected to improve our knowledge on the role of genetic profile and inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis and vulnerable plaques. Furthermore, novel biomarkers and intracoronary imaging techniques will be validated in this study.

Stroke represents the third commonest cause of death after heart disease and all types of cancer combined, and is the leading cause of long-term permanent disability among adults. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is currently the only safe medical treatment for acute ischemic stroke but only a small fraction of patients are eligible for a thrombolysis treatment. Current guidelines on thrombolysis post stroke with tPA exclude its uses beyond 3 hours after stroke onset and when time of onset is unknown thus excluding many patients from potentially beneficial treatment. For an appropriate triage and management of patients, it is essential to improve imaging techniques beyond a simple CT scan. Perfusion computed tomography (PCT), currently considered as an investigational technique, permits a quantitative determination of the cerebral perfusion within the brain. It helps distinguish salvageable ischemic penumbra from irreversibly infarcted core in acute stroke patients. This technique has therefore the potential to select patients who are most likely to benefit from thrombolysis with tPA, can be used to predict the benefit after thrombolysis and determine the suitability for other therapeutic interventions. In patients with a primary diagnosis of TIA, PCT would help to identify possible persistent cerebral ischemia but also provide important information for rapid instigation of prophylactic strategies. The diagnosis and management of patients with ischemic stroke and TIA is challenging and is primarily based on clinical assessment in conjunction with neuroimaging. Development of specific molecular biomarkers as additional tools to support a clinical diagnosis, exclude common stroke mimics such as migraine or epileptic seizures, identify patients at risk of disease, and help guide patient treatment by predicting complications following t-PA treatment would be of great value.

Study of heterogeneity in associations between heart rate and the initial presentation of 12 cardiovascular diseases.