Active clinical trials for "Heart Defects, Congenital"

Children with Cancer or congenital heart disease (CHD) experience complex, physical, psychosocial and behavioural symptoms and problems due to the illness, treatment, and medical procedures. To help children cope with their problems and prevent psychological distress, the investigators developed SiSom, a support system to help children with cancer or CHD report their symptoms and problems in an age-adjusted manner on a touch-pad, portable computer. This quasi-experimental study with 202 children age 7-12 with CHD or cancer will test the following hypotheses: When children use SiSom to report their symptoms and problems, and this information is provided to their clinicians in their outpatient consultations: Children and parents will experience less anxiety. Children and parents will be more satisfied with the outpatient visit. There will be greater congruence between children's reported symptoms and problems and those addressed by their clinicians as evidenced in documented patient care. To better understand the mechanisms by which these effects may occur, the investigators will also explore: Differences between control and experimental groups in patient-provider communication in terms of instrumental and affective behaviour, participation, initiative and person addressed; The relationships among outcomes of patient-provider communication, congruence between patients' reported symptoms and those addressed by their clinicians and children's and parents' anxiety and satisfaction; and how these relationships differ between treatment and control conditions. Finally, the investigators will investigate time requirements, ease of use and usefulness of SiSom by children and clinicians. For analyses the investigators will use inferential statistics and qualitative analyses of the video-taped consultation sessions. This study will contribute to improving patient-centred care for a particularly vulnerable population, and to a better understanding of the triadic communication and interactions among child-parent and clinician.

We conducted a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Cylexin, an inhibitor of the attachment of white blood cells to the endothelium. Our study population was neonates and infants undergoing hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass during surgical repair or palliation of congenital heart defects.

The study is a prospective, non-randomised, open label clinical study to assess the safety of the Bioabsorbable Pulmonary Valved (PV) conduit (PV-001) in subjects > 2 years and < 22 years of age, undergoing Right Ventricular Outflow Tract (RVOT) reconstruction. It is a first in man feasibility study which will include 10-12 patients in up to 6 sites in Europe. The primary objective of the study is to assess the survival rate of subjects at 6 months following implantation of the Bioabsorbable Pulmonary Valved Conduit (PV-001). Secondary objectives: The survival rate of subjects at 12 months following implantation of the Bioabsorbable Pulmonary Valved Conduit (PV-001) The percentage of conduit failure at 6 months and 12 months, where conduit failure includes the need for reintervention or reoperation. The pressure gradient across the pulmonary valve will have an acceptable level at 12 months follow up. The pulmonary regurgitation measured will not exceed a moderate grading at 12 months follow up. To evaluate the usability of the Bioabsorbable Pulmonary Valved Conduit (PV-001) during the surgical procedure, using exploratory parameters Long term safety will be assessed up to 60 months post implantation.

Nesiritide, a recombinant human B-type natriuretic peptide, has favorable effects on patient symptoms, hemodynamics, and the neurohumoral profile in adults with decompensated congestive heart failure and in those recovering from cardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass. Investigators seek to determine whether nesiritide would improve the early postoperative course after total cavo-pulmonary connection surgery in children.

SUMMARY Rationale: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can be a rapidly progressive disorder and is associated with a high mortality rate, despite medical intervention. With the availability of effective therapy, early disease detection is an important strategic objective to improve treatment outcomes. Resting echocardiography is currently the recommended screening modality for high-risk population groups. However, it is clear that abnormalities in resting hemodynamics (and symptoms) are late sequelae of the pathobiological processes that begin in the distal pulmonary arteries. Exercise stress may unmask early pulmonary vascular dysfunction, however the definition, clinical significance, and natural history of 'exercise PAH' remain undefined. However, based on clinical experience and literature the prevalence is estimated at ~ 20%.Treatment with endothelin receptor blockers has shown a beneficial influence on the clinical performance in patients with exercise induced PAH due to systemic sclerosis and primary pulmonary hypertension. Whether endothelin receptor blockers decrease pulmonary pressures and improve clinical outcome in patients with exercise induced pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital heart disease is unknown. Objective: Identify congenital heart disease patients with exercise-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension. Analyze changes in pulmonary arterial pressures at peak exercise in patients with exercise induced pulmonary arterial hypertension before and after treatment with bosentan, compared to placebo. Study design: Randomized placebo controlled trial with a study period of 26 weeks. Study population: Adult congenital heart disease patients with exercise induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (n=40) from the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam. Intervention: After randomization one group (n=20) receives a 125 mg tablet of Bosentan twice daily for 6 months. The other group (n=20) receives placebo for 6 months. Main study parameters/endpoints: To determine wether bosentan (endothelin receptor inhibitor) decreases mean pulmonary arterial pressure at peak exercise in adult congenital heart disease patients with exercise induced pulmonary arterial hypertension. Furthermore the change in cardiopulmonary exercise capacity and right ventricular function will be investigated. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: All investigations, blood analysis excepted, are non-invasive and free of risk. The burden for the patients mainly consists of the time that is consumed by the investigations, namely: history taking + physical examination (15 min); Quality-of-Life- score (15 min); laboratory tests (electrolytes, creatinine, urea, albumin and neurohormones, troponin T); 12 lead electrocardiogram (10 min); exercise echocardiography (30 min); cardiovascular exercise testing (30 min). The trial medication has a potential risk of liver damage, which will be monitored regularly by laboratory testing of liver transaminases.

To compare safety, efficacy and procedural outcome of percutaneous PDA closure using different approaches for better characterization of device selection criteria.

This is a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial design. It was conducted with a main purpose of evaluating the effect of thiamine supplementation on serum lactate and lactate-pyruvate ratio after surgery as direct indicators of tissue perfusion and indirect markers of energy substrate availability for effective mitochondrial function and intubation time as clinical outcome.

XueBiJing, a Chinese herbal derived therapeutic, has been approved to treat severe infections (sepsis) in critically ill patients (China Food and Drug Administration; Beijing, China, Number Z20040033). Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) will produce large amounts of inflammatory mediators and oxygen free radicals, which causes the lipid peroxidation damage and mononuclear cell migration, thus aggravating organ inflammation and damage. Therefore, exploring new methods to prevent and alleviate organ injury caused by CPB is an important topi in clinical practice. However, little knowledge is regarding the effect of Xuebijing injection on CPB-related organ injury. To answer these questions, the authors conducted this randomized trial to compare XueBiJing with placebo in critically ill patients with cardiovascular surgery.

Cardiopulmonary bypass and arrest of the heart during cardiac surgery are necessary to allow the surgeon to perform heart operations. However, these processes can cause injury to the heart which may worsen post-operative outcomes. In fact, the effects of these injuries may continue after surgery, and lead to a long-term decrease in heart function. Neonates and young infants are at particular risk for this occurrence. While much research has been done in adults looking for medicines that might protect the heart during surgery, few studies have been conducted in neonates and young infants. The investigators are testing Dexrazoxane, which has proven to be cardio-protective in pediatric cancer patients, in the hope that it may lessen cardiac injury during and after congenital heart surgery, and thereby improve outcomes in the neonatal and young infant population. In order to accomplish this, the investigators must first determine how Dexrazoxane can be safely administered to young children with congenital heart disease.

Neurodevelopmental impairment due to delayed brain development and brain injury is a fundamental problem in children with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). Significant longterm motor-, cognitive-, and behavioral problems are the result of early postnatally and perioperatively induced brain injury. Allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, prevents the formation of toxic free oxygen radicals, thereby limiting hypoxia-reperfusion damage. Both animal and neonatal studies suggest that administration of allopurinol reduces hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, is cardioprotective, and safe. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of allopurinol administered early postnatally and perioperatively in children with a CCHD requiring cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.