Active clinical trials for "Coronary Artery Disease"

Coronary angiography via the femoral artery is regarded as a safe procedure, but bleeding complications are often seen. To avoid/reduce bleeding complications digital compression is applied in the area of puncture during approximately 20 minutes and the patient is in the investigators' department observed in bed for 2 hours. The investigators apply pressure over the puncture site using a sand bag in the first hour. The patients are told not to move, to keep their legs and upper arms down and not to lift the head from the pillow in these 2 hours (standard observation). In the present study the patients are randomized between standard observation and an alternative observation, where the patients are allowed to lift their head, arms and legs during the 2 hours, otherwise as standard observation. The study has three aims: To establish the incidence of bleeding complications: Frequency of hematoma (> 5 cm) Frequency of pseudoaneurysms Frequency of bleeding demanding surgery Frequency of bleeding demanding transfusion Establish a model to predict in wich patient to expect a bleeding complication. Assess if the alternative observation is associated with more bleeding complications compared to standard observation.

The objective of this study is to compare the Cypher Select-TM Sirolimus Eluting Stent (SES) with the SONIC-TM Bare Metal Stent (BMS) in the treatment of Chronic Total Occlusion lesions (CTO). The primary hypothesis is that, at 8-month follow-up, the minimal luminal diameter (MLD) of the coronary segment treated with stent implantation in CTO lesions is significantly larger with the use of SES compared to BMS. The treated segment is defined as the segment covered by the stent(s) plus 5 mm proximally and distally to the stent(s).

Recent technical advances in percutaneous coronary interventions have made it possible to approach patients with coronary lesions formerly considered to be classical candidates for bypass surgery, e.g. patients with left main coronary stenosis. However, it is still unclear whether the good long-term results achieved with the surgical therapy can be reproduced by an interventional strategy using drug-eluting stents (DES). The aim of the current trial is, therefore, to compare the clinical and angiographic results of PCI and CABG in patients with left main coronary stenosis.

Blood activation induced by cardiopulmonary bypass may compromise the postoperative outcome. The goal of this study is to compare blood activation induced by cardiopulmonary bypass performed with centrifugal pump or roller pump in patients undergoing coronary artery surgery.

The objective of the study is to collect information on the naturally occurring variations in ST deviations at different heart rates, as detected by the AnalyST and AnalyST Accel Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD).

In the present study a cohort of diabetic patients without any symptoms and without known coronary artery disease (CAD) will be screened at the investigators' diabetes outpatients services. Those with intermediate or high risk will be asked to participate and enrolled. They will be seen and followed by the cardiologists in order to provide the best adherence to medical therapy. By mean of a randomization process, a group of patients will undergo an exercise electrocardiography (ECG) testing while the other group will continue to be regularly seen at the investigators' cardiology service. Those patients with a positive exercise ECG test will be study by coronary angiography and treated according to the severity of coronary lesions by percutaneous stenting or surgery. Both groups of patients will be seen every six-eight months for the next three years.

Coronary artery disease (CAD, cholesterol plaque buildup in the heart arteries) is the most common cause of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (weakening of the heart muscle). The standard test to find coronary artery disease is coronary angiography. This test is highly accurate but is invasive and carries a small risk of complications. This study investigates ultrasound of the carotid (neck) arteries as a screening test for severe coronary artery disease as a cause of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. It is hypothesized that carotid ultrasound will have excellent negative predictive value for severe CAD.

Heart transplanted patients often develop coronary artery disease and therefore have their coronary arteries examined with coronary angiography once a year.The purpose of the study is to validate computer tomography of the coronary arteries against coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound in heart transplanted patients. Additionally the association between different inflammatory markers and the development of CAD specific to heart transplanted patients will be studied.

To compare computed tomography (CT) images (pictures) of the coronary arteries using the General Electric (GE) LightSpeed VCT scanner with x-ray coronary angiography in patients with typical or atypical chest pain suspected of coronary artery disease (CAD).

The overall goal of this study is to use MRI to: Examine the relationship between known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and coronary artery wall thickness; Examine the relationship between coronary artery wall thickness and other markers of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, such as carotid wall thickness and coronary calcium scores; and, Examine the feasibility of measuring the progression of coronary artery wall thickness over time in a subset of participants.