Active clinical trials for "Heart Diseases"

This pilot study will investigate the association between levels of the peptide copeptin and response to tolvaptan, a drug that blocks the action of the water retaining hormone vasopressin. The study will enroll stable outpatients with CHF with reduced LVEF (≤45) selected by targeting upper and lower quartile copeptin levels at screening (10 each). The treatment phase of the study will be a prospective, single-arm, open label protocol. All patients will receive active therapy consisting of a single oral dose of 30 mg of tolvaptan with body weight, fluid intake, and urine output monitored in a research unit for 24 hours. For analysis of study endpoints, patients in the single intervention arm will be stratified by a prospectively determined cut-point of copeptin level into two groups (≥10 versus <10 pmol/L). The copeptin level used for the two group stratification will be the blinded copeptin value obtained at baseline from the hospital phase prior to administration of tolvaptan.

Physical rehabilitation is a key element in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases, and recent evidence has shown that supervised exercise programmes can prevent cardiovascular events, improve physical function and quality of life. Individualized exercise prescription based on appropriate frequency, intensity and duration is recommended. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that physical cardiac exercise training can influence inflammation of the vessel wall and hence reduce development of arteriosclerosis in coronary vessels. In the literature are divergent conclusions on appropriate frequency and duration of physical rehabilitation programs in order to improve physical function and reduce arteriosclerosis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of an optimized physical rehabilitation programme compared to a conventional programme on physical fitness, health related quality of life and vascular inflammation.

To evaluate the safety, performance and efficacy of the bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) system in patients with coronary artery disease

To evaluate the long-term results after recanalization of coronary chronic total occlusions.

The study is intended to demonstrate the safe implant of small receiver-electrodes into the endocardial surface of the left ventricle and to demonstrate its utility in providing cardiac resynchronization therapy in heart failure patients.

Mechanisms that typically result in increased cardiac output, such as inotropic support, increased heart rate, and decreased afterload, have a blunted effect in Fontan circulation. The "thoracic pump" is a contributor to venous return that has been largely unexplored in patients with Fontan physiology. Inspiratory muscle training can improve the performance of competitive athletes across a range of sports and can improve quality of life and functional capacity in heart failure patients, presumably by reducing inspiratory muscle fatigue and possibly by improving peripheral blood flow during exercise. One could surmise that the effects of these changes would be particularly important in the Fontan population. The investigators propose to study the effects of inspiratory muscle training on exercise and pulmonary function parameters in a cohort of adult Fontan patients. The investigators hypothesize that a 12-week program of inspiratory muscle training with an inspiratory impedance threshold device will improve inspiratory muscle strength and endurance, and that this will translate into improved exercise performance in patients with Fontan physiology.

This study was a feasibility trial that was designed to provide preliminary observations and generate hypotheses for future studies. The aim of the study is to estimate the difference of arachidonic acid induced platelet aggregation rate between ticagrelor mono-therapy and aspirin/ticagrelor dual-therapy after 14 days of treatment in patients with stable coronary artery disease. The potential hypothesis is that the arachidonic acid (AA) induced platelet aggregation rate after 2 weeks of ticagrelor mono-therapy is comparable to that of aspirin/ticagrelor dual-therapy.

In neonates and infants </= 10 kg following cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease a more restrictive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion strategy will be as effective as, and possibly superior to, a liberal RBC strategy. Allowing lower hemoglobin concentration will not affect the cardiac or pulmonary status of the patient.

This study compares the effects of depression screening and case management to usual care in cardiology outpatients with documented evidence of coronary heart disease. Despite strong evidence that depression is a risk factor for cardiac events, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of depression screening in cardiac patients.

The use of the IABP, in addition to standard care, in high-risk cardiac patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery is feasible and may result in improved perioperative outcomes at 30 days compared with standard care alone, while maintaining acceptable safety with respect to vascular accesss-related complications.