Active clinical trials for "Acute Coronary Syndrome"

The benefits of cardiac rehabilitation have been clearly demonstrated. In particular exercise training is recognized to be part of modern management after coronary artery disease. However methods of prescribing exercise-training programs and the exercise intensity are difficult to determine. The objective of this randomised clinical trial is to determine whether appropriate endurance exercise training improves the ventilatory threshold, the exercise tolerance and the quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease. Patients are randomized to continuous training or aerobic interval training respectively: 80%-versus maximal-workload at the ventilatory threshold. For each patient, the intensity of exercise training is determined by a first exercise test with gas analysis using parameters of sub maximal exercise capacity such as ventilatory threshold. Others parameters of functional capacity are also considered. Duration of the rehabilitation stage is between 7 to 10 weeks. Dyspnoea assessment at maximal intensity, quality of life measurement by SF36, drugs and events are reported. Maximal exercise tests with gas exchange measurements are performed after training program and at 6 months follow-up to compare the different cardio respiratory parameters in the two groups before and after exercise training and to evaluate the more effective endurance training program.

The EVITA study is a clinical trial that will test the effect of varenicline (Champix™), a new drug used to help people quit smoking, in patients who have suffered a heart attack. Varenicline has been recently shown to increase the number of otherwise healthy people who quit smoking compared to placebo (sugar pill). Although varenicline has been shown to reduce smoking in healthy populations, its effectiveness in patients recovering from a heart attack is unknown. The EVITA trial will help answer this question. A total of 300 patients who have recently suffered a heart attack and are active smokers will be recruited in the study. For twelve weeks, half the patients will receive varenicline and the other half will receive placebo pills. Patients will be followed for a period of 12 months. During this time, patients will receive telephone calls and go to clinic visits in order to assess if they are smoking. These follow-ups will also assess any side effects and clinical events such as another heart attack or hospitalization that patients may have had. Smoking cessation will be checked using exhaled carbon monoxide readings and self-reports. The EVITA trial will be the first study to examine the use of varenicline in patients who have recently had a heart attack. These patients, if they continue to smoke, are at high risk of having another cardiac event. If varenicline is shown to be useful in this population, it will have a major impact on prevention of cardiac events in patients who have suffered a heart attack.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether acarbose therapy can reduce cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) who have established coronary heart disease (CHD) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS). A secondary objective of the study is to determine if acarbose therapy can prevent or delay transition to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in this patient population.

The purpose of this randomized, multi-site, clinical trial is to determine whether intensive therapy consisting of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs plus apheresis to cleanse the blood of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is more effective than statin therapy alone in reducing plaque volume in heart arteries of patients who have already suffered an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The study will also investigate whether this intensive approach can help increase the presence of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), stem cells that have been shown to reduce cardiovascular (CV) events in ACS patients. This study has II phases and FDA approval for phase II has been received.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the best way to evaluate patients with chest pain in the emergency department. It compares receiving treatment in an observation unit with admission to the hospital. Patients treated in the observation unit will undergo cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) testing. Patients treated with hospital admission will undergo the testing their doctor determines is best for them. All patients will undergo follow up to find out if they have had any heart related events.

The aim of study is to examine the relationship between lipid subfractions, inflammation and structural-functional properties of the arterial wall in patients after myocardial infarction with high lipoprotein (a) (Lp (a)) levels, to study genetic polymorphisms that determine lipid subfractions concentration on the functional and morphological properties of the arterial vascular wall in patients after myocardial infarction with high Lp (a) levels, to study the effect of pelacarsen on lipid subfractions, inflammation and structural-functional properties of arterial wall in patients after myocardial infarction with high Lp (a) levels and to study the influence of NOS-3 gene expression on the functional and morphological properties of the arterial vascular wall in the same patients. Impaired blood fat metabolism and chronic inflammation represent possible causes of atherosclerosis. Lp (a) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a prognostic predictor in patients after myocardial infarction. Despite recommended screening for elevated Lp (a), there is no specific drug treatment approved to reduce cardiovascular risk through lowering Lp (a). Besides subtilisin-kexin convertase type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are currently only therapeutic agents that significantly reduce serum Lp (a) concentration. Pelacarsen by using an ASO directed against the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) of apolipoprotein (a), reduces the production of apolipoprotein (a) in the liver and thus, the level of Lp (a). However, there are no data on the relationship between Lp (a) values and polymorphisms for Lp (a), indicators of inflammation and impaired arterial function, and response to treatment with pelacarsen in patients after myocardial infarction with extremely high Lp (a) levels.

This study will evaluate whether the anti-inflammatory effect of colchicine is beneficial in ACS patients

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of various doses of YM150 (the experimental drug) in the prevention of ischemic vascular events in subjects with recent acute coronary syndromes.

The iWONDER trial has the following objective: To analyze the morphological, phenotypic and tissue characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques angiographically considered "culprit" and "not-culprit" in patients undergoing coronary angiography due to STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction).

OSA may be a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease due to its association with hypertension, stroke, heart attack and sudden death. The standard therapy for symptomatic OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). CPAP has been shown to effectively reduce snoring, obstructive episodes and daytime sleepiness and to modestly reduce blood pressure and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The overall aim of ISAACC is to determine if CPAP can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart failure for people with OSA admitted in a hospital for an acute coronary syndrome. Overall objective: To assess the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its treatment on the clinical evolution of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Primary objectives: 1. To determine if continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment will reduce the rate of cardiovascular events (cardiovascular (CV) death, non-fatal events (acute myocardial infarction (AMI), non-fatal stroke, hospital admission for heart failure, and new hospitalizations) for unstable angina or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)) in patients with ACS and co-occurring sleep apnea. Secondary objectives: Determine the prevalence of OSA in patients who have suffered an episode of ACS. Other secondary objectives will include the effects of CPAP on: To evaluate a composite of CV death, myocardial infarction (MI) and ischaemic stroke. Components of primary composite endpoints Re-vascularization procedures To evaluate all-cause death To evaluate new onset, ECG-confirmed atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmias To evaluate newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus, according to standard definitions To evaluate OSA symptoms (Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)) To evaluate quality of life in patients with ACS (Test EuroQol (EQ-5D). To establish the relationship between the severity and phenotype of patients with OSA and clinical outcomes of ACS. To establish the relationship between CPAP compliance and CV events incidence. To identify biological risk markers that allow us to establish the most important mechanisms involved in cardiovascular complications in these patients. To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the diagnosis and CPAP treatment of patients with ACS who have obstructive sleep apnea.