Impact of the ProbeFix on the Workflow of Pharmacological Stress Echocardiography Examinations
Coronary Artery DiseasePharmacological stress-echocardiography examinations are routinely performed in daily clinical practice. Usually, the echo probe is manually placed on the patient's thorax by the physician. The ProbeFix is a novel device, enabling the fixation of the ultrasound probe on the patient's thorax. Therefore, there is no need to manually hold the probe. This may improve the standardization of the examination and my reduce its duration. The present trial will investigate, whether the utilization of the ProbeFix reduces the duration of stress-echocardiography examinations and improves standardization of image acquisition.
Registry for CARDIAC PERFUSION CT
Coronary Artery DiseaseThis protocol describes a study whose goal is to collect de-identified Cardiac CT Perfusion (CTP) acquisition parameters and clinical findings from approximately 20 qualified medical facilities. The study uses an electronic data capture tool to collect the de-identified data to create a global multi-center registry. This registry will be used for scientific analysis and publication of pertinent medical trends such as CT utilization, radiation dose, and common cardiovascular findings.
Long-Term Effects of Subclinical CAD on Cardiac Function
Cardiovascular DiseasesCoronary Arteriosclerosis2 moreTo assess changes in coronary calcium measured by electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) as a predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD) events.
Connecting Periodontal and Coronary Artery Disease Via the Inflammatory State of the Body
Periodontal DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesCardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and the world. Many interventions relating to prevention have been emphasized as more risk factors for this devastating disease are discovered. Periodontal disease is known to have a close association with cardiovascular disease, but its role as a risk factor is still not well understood. Inflammation is a driving force in both of these diseases, creating a potential bridge between the two. Specifically, periodontal disease can cause an inflammatory reaction in the body, which may predispose or even directly contribute to atheroma formation in the coronary arteries. In this study, the investigators will study the link between the inflammatory state of the body and will search for a correlation with levels of coronary artery disease and periodontal disease. Inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in the patient's blood will be analyzed and correlated to clinical attachment loss measured via pocket depth measurement, the distance from the gingival margin to the base of the pocket. A definitive link between these disease processes will allow preventive measures to be taken earlier to prevent this lifelong disease.
A Multicentre, Pilot Study to Evaluate the Safety and the Feasibility of Planning and Execution...
Multivessel Coronary Artery DiseaseThe CABG-REVOLUTION study is an investigator-initiated single-arm, multicentre, prospective study for patients with 3-vessel disease (with or without left-main involvement) referred to CABG treatment. Surgical revascularization strategy and treatment planning will be solely based on MSCT (with FFRCT) without knowledge of the anatomy defined by conventional cine-angiography.
Calcium, Phosphate, Renal Impairment and Coronary Artery Disease in the Cardio-renal Syndrome, The...
Heart FailureHeart failure (HF) is a major public health problem, which affects about 5 million Americans.HF is when the heart muscle does not pump as much blood as the body needs. As a result of this,the body has difficulties in keeping an optimal fluid status. The fluid status of the body is regulated by both the heart and the kidneys. Due to the strong interaction between the heart and the kidneys, heart failure can result in a slight decreased kidney function as well. It is known that people who primarily suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher risk of developing arterial calcifications. Calcification of the arteries is caused by deposits of calcium within the walls of the blood vessels. Calcifications of the arteries may result in a loss of elasticity of the blood vessels. Recent research studies have shown that people with CKD have stiffer blood vessels which in these people, is associated with a higher chance of developing cardiovascular diseases. However, it is not known whether a decrease in kidney function in people with HF results in arterial calcification as well. In addition, it is not known whether this is also associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (diseases of the heart and blood vessels.) We are asking you to take part in this study because you have HF combined with some decrease in your kidney function. The purpose of this study is to see whether people with HF and a decrease in kidney function do have a higher chance of developing arterial calcifications. We will do this by comparing the results of the following; 1) several blood tests, 2) pictures taken of your heart by echocardiogram and computed tomography (CT) scan, and 3) measurements of the elasticity of your arteries. All of these tests are routinely used in clinical care. However, there have not been any research studies that have compared these results to see how they relate to arterial calcification in people with HF who have a decrease in kidney function. We also want to see whether people with HF and a decreased kidney function are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This study is being performed at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in Boston Massachusetts. We expect to enroll a total of 150 subjects at MGH.
Lower Leg Remote Ischemic Preconditioning in Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
Ischemic Heart DiseaseThe purpose of this study is to investigate if remote ischemic preconditioning by combining limb ischaemia with electric muscle stimulation of the ischemic muscle provokes better results in preconditioning the human heart than limb ischaemia alone does.
Comparison of Ticagrelor Versus Clopidogrel on Residual Thrombus Burden During PCI: an OCT Study...
Acute Coronary SyndromeCoronary Artery DiseaseSubjects with acute coronary syndromes scheduled for cardiac catheterization will be enrolled in this study. Subjects that are to be treated clinically with coronary artery stenting will be randomized to receive a loading dose of clopidogrel versus ticagrelor after diagnostic angiography but prior to stenting. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) will be performed after stenting and the presence of blood clots inside the new stent will be measured and compared between the groups.
Estimation of the Long Term Effectiveness of Routine Use of Cardiac Shock Wave Therapy
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)This study is dedicated to determination of the long term effectiveness of coronary heart disease (CHD) treatments - cardiac shock wave therapy (CSWT) in comparison with other kinds of medical and surgical treatment. For that purpose the investigators will observe the patients with CHD who enrolled in this study in their routine course of treatment. But the investigators will not interfere with the patient treatment. Each participant will be followed-up for five years. The collected data will allow to determine if the particular method, CSWT, could really make any additional contribution to the more traditional methods of CHD treatment and if the CSWT is only temporarily effective or could exert the long term effect as well.
The Implementation of Intravascular Ultrasound and Fractional Flow Reserve in the Percutaneous Treatment...
Coronary Artery DiseaseA single center, prospective, observational study to investigate the impact of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) on the functional percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) result (assessed with fractional flow reserve (FFR)) and one-year target vessel failure (TVF) rate after percutaneous treatment of long coronary artery lesions