Active clinical trials for "Heart Defects, Congenital"

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital abnormality found in newborns with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) being the most common cyanotic CHD. Total correction of TOF was performed using a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machine. However, the use of CPB has a negative effect that causes inflammation and myocardial injury. Myocardial protection in patients undergoing total correction of TOF surgery is more difficult than other cyanotic CHD due to a hypertrophic right ventricular condition. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a selective α-2 adrenergic, which has major effects including hypnosis, sedation, and analgesia as well as cardiovascular effects. The sedation is induced by stimulating the α-2 adrenergic receptor in the locus coeruleus (LC) in the pons cerebri. DEX also increases the level of GABA and Galanin and reduces endogenous norepinephrine. The lower level of endogenous norepinephrine decreases the afterload of the ventricles, increases cardiac output, and reduces myocardial injury as a result. Furthermore, the peripheral effects of DEX can reduce myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MIR) by inhibiting NF-кB pathway activation and reducing the number of pro-inflammatory cytokines released. Thus, the administration of DEX can prevent myocardial necrosis and apoptosis, also reducing reperfusion injury when using CPB machines. Research related to the effectiveness of administering DEX as a myocardial protector in classic TOF patients undergoing elective total correction cardiac surgery in Indonesia is less reported. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of DEX as myocardial protector in classic TOF patients undergoing elective total correction cardiac surgery.

The ventilator modality of automatic tube compensation (ATC) can provide variable pressure supports during the weaning process to overcome any change in the resistance of the breathing circuit, endotracheal tube, and airways. The aim of the study is to evaluate the automatic tube compensation (ATC) as a tool for ventilatory weaning in pediatrics after surgeries for congenital cardiac anomalies.

This is an investigator initiated, prospective, single-center, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of post-operative low dose vasopressin infusions as an early treatment of low systemic perfusion in pediatric patients following Fontan palliation.

Children with congenital heart disease have significant morbidity including low cardiac output syndrome and subsequent organ dysfunction that may be prevented by optimization of circulatory function. More than half of these children receive milrinone. Clinical evaluation cannot distinguish between patients with sub-therapeutic, therapeutic, and toxic milrinone drug levels. Consequently children who require pharmacologic circulatory support may be receiving sub-optimal dosing, and children who do not need milrinone may be receiving milrinone unnecessarily. The primary objective of this study is to determine if optimizing milrinone levels with therapeutic drug monitoring in critically ill children following cardiac surgery improves clinical outcomes and reduces the duration of milrinone infusion. This study hypothesizes that optimizing milrinone levels with therapeutic drug monitoring in critically ill children following cardiac surgery will improve clinical outcomes and reduce the duration of milrinone infusion.

Introduction: The Fontan operation is the surgical treatment in most patients with either anatomic or functional single ventricles. In this operation, the subpulmonary ventricle is bypassed, connecting the systemic veins directly to the pulmonary arteries. The lack of a subpulmonary ventricle is associated with a nonpulsatile pulmonary flow and triggers a sequence of adaptive mechanisms along the life of these patients. The most frequent consequence of these adaptative mechanisms is the reduction in functional capacity, objectively measured by the decrease in peak oxygen consumption (VO2). So, cardiovascular and pulmonary functioning and skeletal muscle alterations can explain exercise intolerance in these patients. Objectives: 1. To compare the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and musculoskeletal system variables in clinically stable Fontan patients with Healthy subjects; 2. To correlate the variables of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and skeletal muscle with the functional capacity in Fontan patients; 3. To identify predictors of low functional capacity in this population; 4. To evaluate four-month aerobic exercise and inspiratory muscle training on functional capacity, pulmonary function, and autonomic control in patients after Fontan operation and compare to the group with no exercise training. Methods: All subjects were submitted to cardiovascular, pulmonary, and skeletal muscle evaluation at baseline to perform a cross-sectional study comparing Fontan Patients (FP) with Healthy Controls (HC). In addition, the FP accepted to participate in the longitudinal clinical trial to evaluate exercise programs were randomized into three groups: Aerobic Exercise Training (AET), Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT), and Non-exercise Training Group (NET, a control group). All patient groups (AET, IMT, NET) were reassessed after four months of training or under usual care. Expected Outcomes: This study expects to demonstrate that impaired pulmonary function, altered neurovascular control, and reduced skeletal muscle could be an additional potential mechanism for reducing functional capacity in clinically stable Fontan patients. And this impairment could be diminished by exercise training, enhancing physical capacity, and exercise tolerance.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of citrate to provide anticoagulation of an ECMO circuit without patient anticoagulation. The standard method of providing ECMO circuit anticoagulation is the use of heparin which also anticoagulates the patient and increases the risk of patient bleeding.

An initial feasibility and safety study evaluating the use of autologous tissue engineered vascular grafts as extra cardiac total cavopulmonary connection (EC TCPC) conduits in children with single ventricle anomalies.

Each year, there are over 400,000 cardiac surgical operations performed in the United States; of which 10,000 are performed on children. These operations are made possible by the use of the heart-lung bypass machine, also known as cardiopulmonary bypass. This machine allows for the body to be supported while the heart is repaired. While this machine has been life saving, it has risks and can lead to a variety of complications. One such complication results from the fact that the patient's blood is exposed to the foreign material of the machine, such as plastic tubing. In nearly all cases of cardiac surgery, this leads to a whole body response in the patient following the operation. This response, inflammation, is characterized by alterations in the function of the heart and lungs, fever, fluid retention, and bleeding disorders in the postoperative period. While this is usually temporary and self limiting, significant morbidity occurs in approximately 1-2% of cases where this inflammatory response is present. Additionally, children appear to be more susceptible to this response. This can lead to significant postoperative complications that are not associated with the actually surgical procedure performed on the heart. The exact cause of this response is not fully understood. However, it is important to understand the triggers, timing, and pattern of this complex inflammatory response in order to modify or arrest it. Unlike other situations associated with this type of whole-body inflammatory reaction such as trauma or overwhelming infection, cardiac surgical teams have the advantage of knowing when the trigger will occur (i.e. during the cardiac operation) and hence have the opportunity for preemptive intervention in an effort to minimize the response. One such effort is the focus of this proposal. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas that has been used for years in the treatment of lung disease in infants. It has been life saving and safe. Recently, it has been investigated for its anti-inflammatory effects outside the lungs. We propose delivering NO to the source of the greatest inflammation in cardiac surgery, the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. It is our intention to show that in doing so; we can minimize the inflammation found in the first 24 hours following cardiac surgery in children. If we are correct, the reduction of this inflammation will result in less damage to other organs of the child's body and improved outcome following surgery.

This study was designed to investigate treatment of postoperative pulmonary hypertension by iloprost inhalation in children with congenital heart defects. It was a controlled single-blind randomized multi-center prospective study in order to explore the efficacy of this method in the treatment and prevention of pediatric pulmonary hypertension after corrective open-heart surgery for congenital heart defects.

This trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (MBTS) compared to the right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV-to-PA) shunt; compare the effect of the MBTS to that of the RV-to-PA shunt on the incidence of death or cardiac transplantation at 12 months post randomization; and compare the effect of the two shunts on intensive care unit (ICU) morbidity, unintended cardiovascular interventional procedures, right ventricular function, tricuspid valve regurgitation, pulmonary artery growth, and neurodevelopmental outcome.