Active clinical trials for "Cardiomyopathies"

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is a proven treatment for heart failure. CRT consists of a special pacemaker with two/three leads (insulated wires which take the electrical impulses from the device to the heart), one in the right ventricle, one in a vein on the outer surface of the left ventricle (in a vessel called coronary sinus or CS) and sometimes one in the right atrium (right top chamber of the heart). Tiny electrical impulses are simultaneously sent to the ventricles to make them beating together again in a more synchronised pattern. This leads to a coordinated, synchronous pumping action that, in most patients, translates into improved heart failure symptoms and improved quality and quantity of life, reducing the chance of being admitted to hospital with worsening heart failure. Unfortunately up to one third of the patients do not benefit from CRT therapy and to date there are no useful criteria to predict the response to CRT. In an effort to improve the response rate to CRT, alternative methods have been developed. In particular, a new technology called MultiPoint Pacing (MPP) (St. Jude Medical, Sylmar, CA) has recently become available. It allows simultaneous stimulation of 2 different points in the left ventricle by using a single lead with four electrodes. This strategy should improve the pumping function of the heart by recruiting a larger mass of muscle. Although MPP is as safe and as effective as standard CRT pacing, the improvements to date in the heart pump function it gives over standard CRT pacing are variable and small. Recent evidence suggests that MPP pacing could be particularly beneficial in some subgroups of patients, in particular patients with a previous history of heart attack resulting in scar formation in the left ventricle. The investigators hypothesize that MPP works better when the lead is closer to the scar because this allows recruitment of areas with slow conduction, thus increasing synchronization further. To this aim, they plan to compare, in each patient, the acute response produced by MPP on the cardiac function when the CS lead is placed close to myocardial scar and when it is placed far from scar respectively.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited heart disease. A relatively common subgroup of HCM patients have apical HCM - a type of heart muscle disease that causes abnormal muscle thickening towards the tip (apex) of the heart. This can impair the heart's own blood flow through the thickened heart muscle. We think this is one of the causes for symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pain. If medications are ineffective at treating symptoms, there are few further options available, limited to invasive heart surgery. This study aims to determine if it is possible to improve the blood flow within by altering the settings of patients' permanent pacemakers, dynamic microvascular obstruction is an important cause of perfusion abnormalities in HCM and whether introducing localized dyssynchrony with ventricular pacing improves this. This phased study will include patients with apical HCM that already have implanted pacemaker devices to remove risks associated with device implantation. The study may provide insights into novel mechanisms for symptoms in HCM and provide new methods for treating a patient group in whom therapeutic options can be extremely limited.

A study to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of serial intravenous dose of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Bone Marrow Cells in subjects with heart failure and implanted left ventricular assist devices.

In the follow-up of partecipants with Covid-19 infection, persistence of cardiovascular symptoms is common. Studies on the acute phase of Covid-19 infection have demonstrated a significant prevalence of acute myocardial damage (15-44%), and imaging studies have confirmed the presence of structural changes in the pericardium and myocardium several months after the acute phase. The aim of the project is to identify the prevalence and characteristics of long-term cardiovascular changes in Covid-19 infection.

Randomized study of medication withdrawal in patients who have recovered LV function in Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

The investigators will randomize patients admitted to hospital with Takotsubo diagnosis to systematic high-dose adenosine infusion for 3 minutes (in addition to standard of care) vs. standard of care. The primary aim of the study is to demonstrate that adenosine infusion is associated with a larger and more rapid recovery of left ventricle function.

The purpose of this trial is to characterize the safety profile and preliminary activity of high-dose MYDICAR® in persons with advanced heart failure when added to their maximal and optimized therapy.

Study hypothesis: With optimal medical therapy and repeated ablations, an additional renal denervation may have protective effects in terms of vegetative intrinsic activity and lead to a significant reduction in VT Burdens. Study design: Multicenter, randomized, prospective, single-blind clinical trial.

The overall purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of gastric bypass surgery-induced weight loss on the heart's function and on fat deposits in the heart muscle.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a larger dose of the aldosterone antagonist spironolactone combined with a lower dose of an ACE inhibitor is more effective in reverse left ventricular remodeling in severe congestive heart failure in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.