Active clinical trials for "Heart Failure"

Heart Failure (HF) patients discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities have higher rehospitalization rates and mortality than patients discharged to home. HF disease management programs have been shown to reduce rehospitalizations in community settings, no national guidelines have been set forth for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF). This study will investigate the the effect of a heart failure-disease management program on the outcome of all-cause hospital readmissions, emergency room admissions and mortality for 30 days post-SNF admission using 7 component heart failure disease management program.

Patients who have suffered a heart attack are at risk of developing worsening heart function and heart failure. Exercise training has a beneficial effect on heart function and prevents heart failure. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of exercise training on heart function in patients who have suffered a heart attack.

Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA) affects up to half of patients with severe heart failure and is associated with a poor prognosis. CSA is manifest as episodes of deep breathing interspersed with very shallow or absent breathing and is largely due to an exaggerated response to rising carbon dioxide in the blood, which normally drives how hard we breathe. Cardiac Resynchronization therapy (CRT), in which a pacemaker is implanted to improve co-ordinated contraction of the heart, has been shown to reduce the severity of CSA in some patient groups. We aim to determine whether this improvement is due to normalization of the body's response to carbon dioxide in the blood. Our hypothesis is that CRT improves CSA by normalizing the brain's response to carbon dioxide.

The purpose of the trial is to investigate the safety and effectiveness of renal denervation for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF).

Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD) are mechanical heart pumps that are increasingly being implanted in patients with severe heart failure which have failed medical therapy. In patients with LVADs, right ventricular failure, which is not supported by the LVAD pump, is a major problem that affects quality-of-life and survival. Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) aims to restore the synchronized contraction of the heart and has proven to be beneficial for improving ejection fraction of both right and left ventricle as well as quality of life in selected heart failure patients. The role of CRT in patients with LVADs is unknown. We hypothesize that CRT can exert a beneficial impact on right ventricular function in LVAD patients and improve their quality-of-life. The specific questions that this study aims to answer are: What are the effects of CRT on the function of the non-supported right ventricle in patients with an implanted LVAD? Can the effects of CRT on cardiac function positively impact quality-of-life and exercise capacity in LVAD recipients? In this study patients with a previously implanted CRT device, who later receives an LVAD, will be randomly assigned to have the CRT turned off (CRT-off) or on (CRT-on). The patients will be followed for an 8-week period, and then switched over to the opposite CRT status. The total participation in this study will last for 16 ± 1 weeks, and will involve 3 clinic visits of approximately 3 hour duration (initial visit, 8 week visit, and 16 week final visit), plus 2 quick checks of the pacemaker/defibrillator in-between the visits. Heart function will be assessed with comprehensive echocardiographic studies during the CRT "on" and CRT "off" periods. Quality-of-life and exercise capacity will be assessed with a standardized questionnaire and a 6-Minute Walk Test.

The intent of this clinical study is to answer the questions: Is the proposed treatment safe Is treatment effective in improving the disease pathology of patients with Heart Disease as assessed by a series of measurements indicating improvement, stability, or degradation of a patient's cardiovascular function and exercise capacity?

The aim of the present project is to compare the acute and chronic effect of stair descending versus stair ascending exercise on muscle damage and performance in elderly males with chronic heart failure.

The PARADYM RF ICDs (DR, VR and CRT)have been implemented with 3 innovative features: The new RV autothreshold algorithm which will help the physician in his diagnosis avoiding potential lost of capture. Then, the ICD devices have also the capability to be remotely interrogated through the remote monitoring system whose performances will be reported during the study. Finally the study will report the electrical and handling performances of the new left ventricular lead.

The primary objective is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the IK-5001 device for the prevention of ventricular remodeling and congestive heart failure when administered to subjects who had successful percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement after ST segment elevation MI (STEMI).

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the CentriMag ventricular assist system to help pediatric patients who have experienced heart failure during surgery and cannot be removed from cardiac bypass.