Active clinical trials for "Heart Failure"

Patients with congestive heart failure are usually treated with a combination of an ACE inhibitor (or an AT1 blocking agent), a diuretic and a beta-blocker. However, some patients remain symptomatic despite an optimal treatment with these drugs. In patients who also have coronary heart disease, nitrates or some calcium-channel blockers could help to relieve symptoms. Therefore, the aim of our study is to evaluate the additional benefit induced by a second generation calcium-channel blocker, amlodipine, in patients with chronic heart failure who remain symptomatic despite an optimal treatment.

The purpose of this study protocol is to evaluate the blood concentrations of levosimendan when administered at different doses clinically employed during cardiopulmonary bypass or cardiac manipulation during off pump surgery in patients who require the drug for inotropic support (improved heart function) and the associated hemodynamic variables (vital signs). Levosimendan is one of the first agents in a new class of drugs used to treat heart failure and works via a unique mechanism called calcium sensitization, that makes the heart beat more efficiently. Levosimendan also has unique effects on the blood vessels, as well as causing relaxation, an important therapeutic approach of heart failure therapy.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HPEF, defined as LVEF ≥50%) represents 50% of hospital admissions for heart failure. Although its morbi-mortality is similar to that of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFPEF), it remains an unknown disease with limited data especially from an etiological point of view. The underlying causes are imperfectly understood, and more than half of the patients have HPEF labeled "idiopathic." A non-hierarchical clustering study of HPEF patients led to the identification of a subgroup of patients (25%) with a predominant coronary vascular phenotype (i.e., a history of coronary stenosis with or without the need for revascularization). In these patients, vascular endothelial dysfunction would play a central role in the development and progression of heart failure.One of the mechanisms leading to HPEF could be a decrease in the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) involved in the relaxation of the cardiac muscle. As the mechanism of action of NO is pleiotropic, a decrease in NO bioavailability could also be observed at the peripheral level, favoring in the long term the development of unfavorable vascular remodeling, for example in the small digital or retinal arteries.Some HPEF patients could thus be distinguished from others by their predominant "vascular" profile. The link between HPEF and endothelial dysfunction has been suspected but never clearly demonstrated. Ultra-high frequency ultrasound is an innovative technology to estimate the remodeling of small distal arteries in a non-invasive way. The investigators propose to use this imaging on digital arteries in HPEF patients and to study the association with known coronary macrovascular damage.The remodeling parameters will be measured and compared in patients with HPEF with or without identified macrovascular coronary disease.This characterization of arterial remodeling on the digital arteries could be a powerful tool for non-invasive screening in the identification of a subgroup of HPEF that is still considered idiopathic.

The aim of this study is to identify existing definitions and therapeutic approaches for acute right ventricular injury (RVI) in patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for respiratory support. The objective of the study is to generate expert consensus statements on the definition and management of acute RVI in this high-risk patient population, using a Delphi method. The standardised RVI definition during ECMO for respiratory support and a consensus-based management approach to RVI will facilitate systematic aggregation of data across clinical trials to harmonise patient selection and compare therapeutic interventions.

Millions of Americans seek emergency care for acute shortness of breath, and many undergo computerized tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) testing that is negative for acute disease. Management of patients with persistent shortness of breath despite normal testing continues to pose a challenge for clinicians. Right ventricular (RV) failure is a common cause of dyspnea that brings patients to the emergency department (ED), however, it is often not considered in the differential diagnosis, remains unrecognized, or patients are not properly followed up once diagnosed. Delays in diagnosis and management of RV failure are associated with poor outcomes. The investigators propose a novel clinical pathway, which entails identifying and enrolling patients with RV failure in the ED, then referring them to a specialized cardiovascular clinic where they will receive a standardized evaluation and management plan. Our hypothesis is that management of RV failure, through this pathway, will improve patient outcomes when compared to standard care. The primary outcome will assess 1-year unscheduled healthcare visits.

This trial will investigate the potential for patiromer-facilitated use of higher doses of mineralocorticoid antagonists in addition to standard care (compared to standard care alone) to improve congestion, well-being and mortality in people who have worsening congestion due to heart failure and hyperkalaemia.

This is a prospective, observational, open study that will utilize the following tools: survey/questionnaire research, interviews, and focus groups, and secondary/archival data analysis. In addition, a subset of selected subjects will be asked to provide blood samples to examine the biologic determinants of patient health status in heart failure (HF). This will help us understand better the biomarkers or genetic factors that may cause differences in patient quality of life.

This is an observational study to evaluate the agreement between the InCardia diagnostic technology CorWatch for the assessment of venous pressure in human subjects. This includes evaluation of InCardia technology in heart failure (HF) patients undergoing invasive right heart catheterization in a cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab) and in a cardiac intensive care unit (ICU).

The purpose of this Clinical investigation is to assess the impact of the Multi Point Pacing (MPP) feature at 12 months in the treatment of patients not responding to standard Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) after 6 months.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), is one of the leading causes of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Despite the severity of this disease, no established treatments exist for this class of PH. Nebivolol is a drug used in high blood pressure and heart failure, but not used in patients with PH. Due to some additional properties it possesses, the investigators believe nebivolol will improve disease severity in patients with PH associated with HFpEF. The hypothesis of this research study is that nebivolol improves PH severity in patients with HFpEF, as measured by hemodynamic and clinical parameters.