Active clinical trials for "Coronary Disease"

Many studies have shown that those with coronary artery disease (CAD) have a more rapid decline in memory than expected and that they are at an increased risk of developing dementia. It is not understood how memory decline is linked to CAD; however, it has recently been discovered that certain byproducts of fat breakdown involved in the development of CAD, called ceramides, can harm brain cells. In the present study the investigators will recruit 129 CAD patients from a cardiac rehabilitation facility and measure memory performance and blood ceramide concentrations at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. The investigators will also measure important blood messengers of inflammation and assess whether they are associated with ceramide production. In addition, relationships between ceramides and other aspects of brain function, such as thinking speed and the ability to plan and sort information will be explored.

The purpose of the study is to optimize an already existing algorithm for diagnosing atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries (CAD, Coronary Artery Disease).

Specific cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart attack, have been shown to vary by ethnic group. However, less is known about differences between ethnic groups and a wider range of cardiovascular diseases. This study will examine differences between ethnic groups (White, Black, South Asian and Mixed/Other) and first lifetime presentation of twelve different cardiovascular diseases. This information may help to predict the onset of cardiovascular diseases and inform disease prevention strategies. The hypothesis is that different ethnic groups have differing associations with the range of cardiovascular diseases studied.

The aim of the study is to assess presence of myocardial ischemia by contrast stress echocardiography in patients with symptomatic non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) by CT-coronary angiography, and the clinical, vascular, biochemical and genetic markers of myocardial ischemia in such patients.

Invasive imaging criteria of the Coronary arteriography (CAG) and intravascular ultrasound imaging (IVUS), satisfying procedural optimization after drug eluting stent (DES) implantation, were used in < 10% DS by CAG and 5-5.5mm2 MSA by IVUS. Whether these criteria satisfy not only relieving visible stenosis but also relieving lesion specific ischemia or not were unclear. Fractional flow reserve (FFR), an index of lesion specific ischemia, was proposed 0.9 as a physiologic criteria satisfying successful stent implantation by previous studies with bare metal stent. FFR after drug-eluting stent implantation can be an useful predictor for clinical outcome. But, direct comparative evaluation of the invasive imaging criteria defining as an indicator relieving myocardial ischemia were not reported. The aim of this study was to investigate angiographic and IVUS parameters in which corresponding FFR and evaluate their optimal physiologic criteria after DES implantation.

The investigators propose a 4 year prospective, observational study of 40 patients yearly, comparing conventional clinically indicated SPECT and PET perfusion with dynamic rest/stress MPI studies with coronary angiography, in some cases performed with quantitative coronary anatomy and flow as well as quantitative 13N-ammonia PET MPI. Methods will also be assessed for their ability to determine myocardial viability by comparing regional wall motion (WM) on clinically indicated serial ventriculography, echocardiography or gated SPECT MPI in those protocol patients with WM abnormalities who subsequently undergo revascularization. Patient studies will begin in the first study year based on those methods already developed and integrate new advances as they become evident.

COACT registry is a multicenter registry of consecutive patients undergoing coronary stent implantation at 8 centers in the Catholic University of Korea to evaluate the real world management of patients with coronary artery disease and to assess their in-hospital, medium and long-term outcomes.

Recent clinical trials demonstrated that virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) is a useful test predicting clinical outcomes of the coronary artery disease (CAD). Thin cap fibroatheroma (VH-TCFA) was proposed a predictor of cardiovascular event by VH-IVUS combined with more than 70% plaque burden and less than 4mm² minimal lumen area (MLA) by IVUS. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is an established index of the physiological significance of a coronary stenosis. Recent large scale trials demonstrated FFR guided PCI showed favorable clinical outcomes. VH-IVUS represents anatomical severity, but FFR represents functional severity of CAD. Few studies reported relevance between two tests. Aim of this study was to investigate whether the geometry and composition of lesions were different under FFR criteria.

The investigators examined the feasibility of treatment planning using virtual coronary revascularization and fractional flow reserve (FFR) CT before the invasive procedures.

The purpose of this study is to assess the non-invasive, Peripheral Arterial Tonometry (PAT) testing as another way of predicting potential coronary artery blockages in the heart.