Active clinical trials for "Heart Failure"

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Currently, there is little information about the lifetime risk of CVD among non-white ethnic groups. This study will analyze data from participants in several ongoing clinical studies to identify the lifetime risk for CVD among various ethnicities.

The purpose of the ADHERE study is to develop a multi-center, observational, open-label registry of the management strategies of patients treated in the hospital for acute Heart Failure in the United States.

Heart failure is a progressive disease that decreases the pumping action of the heart. This may cause a backup of fluid in the heart and may result in heart beat changes. When there are changes in the heart beat sometimes an implantable heart device is used to control the rate and rhythm of the heart beat. In certain heart failure cases, when the two lower chambers of the heart no longer beat in a coordinated manner, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may be prescribed. CRT is similar to a pacemaker. It is placed (implanted) under the skin of the upper chest. CRT is delivered as tiny electrical pulses to the right and left ventricles through three or four leads (soft insulated wires) that are inserted through the veins to the heart. The purpose of this study is to monitor the long-term performance of the InSync Model 8040 (InSync) and InSync III Model 8042 (InSync III) systems for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

To support follow-up for the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) of coronary heart disease and stroke risk factors in adults 65 years or older.

To conduct a surveillance study of congestive heart failure (CHF).

The mechanism by which heart failure initiates and progresses and the mechanisms of heart repair remain unclear. The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a therapy to stabilise patients while they await their transplant. The LVAD helps pump blood around the body, giving the heart an opportunity to recover. During surgery, the apical core tissue is routinely removed to allow the implantation of the device (this tissue is normally discarded). Some patients demonstrate cardiac recovery, allowing the device to be removed without later needing a transplant. As part of the LVAD removal procedure, the section around the device might need to be removed (this tissue is normally discarded). To further understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the heart is repaired, the investigators wish to utilise this surplus tissue for research purposes. The collection of this tissue is part of routine treatment and does not represent additional risk for the patient for research purposes. Some patients might still require a transplant following VAD treatment. The native heart is removed from these patients (routinely discarded) and replaced by a donor heart. The investigators wish to utilise this discarded tissue for research purposes, so that the investigators can identify the cellular and molecular factors involved in cardiac repair and which distinguish responsive and non-responsive patients. Heart transplant recipients who require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation will have an additional heart biopsy sample taken for research purposes when performed as part of routine clinical practice. There is no additional risk to the patient for research purposes. Heart failure patients scheduled for transplantation (who have not received a VAD) will be recruited prior to transplantation and their native heart retained for research purposes. An additional peripheral blood sample will be collected from all patients for research purposes when performed for routine clinical practice.

To compare the outcomes of patients with acute heart failure who undergo early coronary angiography vs. usual care

The "four-point" questionnaire by Severo and his associates was weighted in 2011 in the Portuguese population and aims to characterize the severity of the symptoms of heart failure by providing a way to minimize the reliability of the NYHA classification. The questionnaire consists of four closed questions, three possible single-choice answers, coded 0, 1 or 2, and has been translated into Greek in accordance with the internationally-based methodology, with forward-backward translation.

Despite its known prevalence in Heart Failure, a recent study conducted by Prof. Cacoub (unpublished) on the French national health insurance database showed that iron deficiency was a poorly diagnosed and poorly treated comorbidity. In chronic diseases including Heart Failure, Transferrin Saturation Factor is only performed in about 10% of cases while it is recommended for patients with Heart Failure (French Health High Authority 2011). The purpose of this study is to obtain current data on the prevalence of iron deficiency in France in patients with Heart Failure, applying the recommendations of European Society of Cardiology and French Health High Authority (determination of ferritinemia and Transferrin Saturation Factor).

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome caused by structural and/or functional cardiac abnormalities, resulting in a reduced cardiac output and/or elevated intra-cardiac pressures at rest or during stress. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in Internal Medicine departments. This study aims at exploring evidence of the importance of ultrasound in HF both for hospitalized patients and in the follow up. Ultrasound may be used as a recovery monitoring instrument at the bedside and also as a global cardiovascular assessment tool for these patients. HF represents an exciting opportunity to create an integrative ultrasound approach in Internal Medicine/Geriatric departments.The Authors plan a five-step ultrasound examination to evaluate and monitor HF patients during hospitalization and follow-up. They call this examination: the "ABCDE" score. It includes the evaluations of A, the Ankle-brachial index (ABI), B, the B-lines, C, the Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), D, the Diameter of the abdominal aorta and of the inferior cave vein and E, the echocardiographic assessment of the ejection fraction.This score represent an integrative ultrasound approach in Internal Medicine/Geriatric departments.