Active clinical trials for "Aortic Aneurysm"

The goal is to non-invasively study the metabolic processes within the aortic wall that are thought to explain progression to clinical manifestations of an aortic aneurysm. Hypothesis is that the non-invasive imaging of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) with contrast ultrasound, coupled with serum biomarker measurements will allow the identification of the vulnerable aortic wall and patients who are at risk of AAA growth or rupture.

The purpose of the present research study is to investigate the pharmacokinetics, as well as safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamics of different ascending dosing regimens of AP214 in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. AP214, the investigational drug, is being developed to potentially prevent post-surgical kidney injury after thoracic aortic aneurysm repair.

This study has two aims. Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a common suspected medical condition. If it cannot be excluded clinically and using D-dimer, ultrasound examination is required. An option for traditional radiologist-performed ultrasound is a 2-point compression ultrasound (2-CUS). The safety of this technique is proven. However there does not exist any data on costs comparing traditional and 2-CUS pathways in primary health care. This study will evaluate the total cost of both pathways by conducting a cost-minimization analysis. It will also study the effect of a simple ultrasound education on the referrals to hospital due to suspected DVT. Hypothesis 1: Short education in ultrasound will reduce significantly referrals to hospital and save resources. Length of stay (LOS) in emergency department (ED) is related to increased mortality, morbidity, prolonged hospital stay and probably patient satisfaction. LOS of patients with a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) performed by an emergency physician (EP) will be compared to those that have a radiology performed ultrasound examination. Further examination and accuracy of POCUS will be noted. Hypothesis 2: POCUS can shorten LOS significantly in selected clinical conditions

To investigate whether limb remote ischemic preconditioning (LRIP) has protective effects against intestinal and pulmonary injury in patients undergoing open infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair.

A major determinant of perioperative mortality is the inability of the heart to increase its output in response to surgical stress. This is termed perioperative cardiac failure (PCF), and may only be apparent postoperatively when oxygen demand is increased. The risk of perioperative cardiac complications is the summation of the individual patient's risk and cardiac stress related to the surgical procedure1. The functional capacity of the patient determines their ability to support the postoperative demand of increased oxygen consumption, and therefore of cardiac output. Exercise capacity is one of the most powerful predictors of cardiovascular and all cause mortality2. Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is an established investigation used, among other applications, in the preoperative assessment of patient fitness for surgery3. CPET involves monitoring the electrocardiographic trace and the exhaled gas mixture (particularly CO2, whose production depends on aerobic metabolism), during incremental exercise (usually on an exercise bike), on room air. Several parameters can be measured during CPET, including maximal systemic oxygen delivery, the anaerobic threshold (the oxygen delivery value at which anaerobic metabolism begins), maximum workload, and ST segment depression/elevation (as in a standard exercise tolerance test). The cardiopulmonary "performance" during CPET has been correlated with postoperative outcome3. Pulmonary function tests will be performed in order to assess lung function. It is well known that therapy with beta-blockers in patients with ischaemic heart disease and cardiac failure reduces perioperative morbidity and mortality4-7. However, beta blockers reduce myocardial contractility and the heart rate response to adrenergic stimulation, thus blunting the physiological response to stress/surgery/exercise. Whilst this mechanism may protect the heart perioperatively, it may decrease the ability of some patients to withstand other complications. This potential decrease in "performance" has never been quantified. There is no agreement on whether preoperative CPET should be performed on or off beta-blockers and, at Aintree in particular, it is standard procedure to take patients off beta-blockers prior to their CPET. Some argue that, as beta-blockade should be maintained in the perioperative period, CPET should be performed on medications, even if these could mask the presence significant ischaemic heart disease (a significant, modifiable, risk factor for surgery by beta blockade), and even if it is not always possible to maintain beta-blockade throughout the whole postoperative period. For these reasons, other clinicians prefer to perform CPET off beta-blockers, thus, potentially, overestimating the perioperative cardiorespiratory "performance", which may be diminished once the medications are resumed. Patients on long-term beta blockade may develop some tolerance to the medications, so the effect of acute and chronic beta blockade on cardiorespiratory performance may also be different. Aim To compare cardiopulmonary performances on and off beta blockers as objectively assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Late endovascular abdominal aneurysm repair (EVAR) complications not amenable to endovascular correction can undergo either late open conversion (LOC) or semi-conversion (SC). LOC is defined as a total or partial endograft explantation >30 days after the initial EVAR. SC is defined as open or laparoscopic surgery for endoleak (EL) correction with complete endograft preservation. The aim of this study is to collect in a prospective database the technical aspects of a multicenter experience of LOC and SC, and to analyse early and long-term outcomes of these two treatments.

The purpose of this research study is to look at whether an investigational imaging agent, 64Cu-DOTA-ECL1i, used during Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/ Computed Tomography (CT) scanning, can help to identify conditions that place patients at an increased risk for AAA rupture. The study is also looking more closely at cellular, molecular and inflammatory properties of the aortic wall. Having the ability to identify markers that predict AAA progression/expansion and risk for rupture could allow the physician to manage patients in a more individualized, personal way.

The strength of movement which are applied on the EVAR are not only cranio-caudal but also lateral. The movement of the EVAR's body within the aneurysm could be an instability's criteria of the EVAR. The investigators would like to show that this lateral movement is a risk factor of reintervention they should follow and suggest a reinforced medical follow-up to avoid complications.

Aneurysms of the thoracic ascending aorta are a serious pathology which may threatens life by rupture or dissection. Their incidence is estimated at 10.4 per 100,000 people. At present, the only parameter for assessing the risk of complication is the maximum diameter of the aneurysm. The only way to avoid a complication is a surgical replacement of the aneurysmal aorta by a prosthetic tube. This procedure is performed by sternotomy and with extracorporeal circulation and its death rate ranges between 3% and 5%. Surgical repair is indicated when the diameter of the aneurysm exceeds 5.5 cm for degenerative atheromatous aneurysms or 5 cm in a patient with genetic disorder of connective tissue (Marfan disease or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). However, there are aneurysms with diameter greater than the surgical threshold which remain stable. Conversely, complications have been described for aneurysms less than 4.5 cm in diameter. The criterion of diameter appears therefore as inadequate to assess the risk of complication of an aneurysm of the ascending aorta.Multiple methods have been described in the literature. One of them relies on in vitro mechanical testing on healthy or aneurysmal tissue. Another method is the vivo analysis from imaging (CT, MRI or ultrasound). So far, no algorithm is robust enough for predicting the risk of complication better than the universally used criterion of diameter. The pathophysiology of these aneurysms has also been explored from histological studies. The investigators know that the microstructure of the aortic wall of an aneurysm is deteriorated with a degradation of elastin fibers and collagen that determine to a large extent its biomechanical behavior. Histological analysis appears inseparable from biomechanical analysis.

In many countries the gold standard for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms is still open surgery with a long incision. In patients with suitable anatomy alternatively an endovascular approach can be chosen. Since open surgery is more durable in many countries a laparoscopic procedure using " key hole surgery " has gained wider acceptance. The current study wants to prove that laparoscopic aortic aneurysm procedures are less invasive than open surgery with reduced recovery times.