Active clinical trials for "Heart Failure"

The primary hypothesis is that, in patients with advanced heart failure, an outpatient fluid management strategy guided by BNP levels and clinical targets will lead to fewer days hospitalized or dead over a 3-month period compared to an outpatient fluid management strategy using clinical targets alone.

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 (flexible insulated wires) that are inserted through the veins to the heart. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new lead for delivering energy to the left ventricle (bottom left chamber of the heart).

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of biofeedback-relaxation combined with cognitive behavioral therapy on clinical, physical and psychological outcomes in patients with heart failure.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of levosimendan with dobutamine on heart function in patients suffering of severe chronic heart failure.

In an earlier study, eplerenone was shown to improve survival in patients who had heart failure immediately following a heart attack. However, it is not known how patients with established mild-to-moderate heart failure (NYHA Class II), who have the additional risk of sudden death, will respond if treated with eplerenone. In this trial, eplerenone plus standard heart failure medicines is being compared to placebo plus standard heart failure medicines in terms of an additional ability to prolong life and prevent re-hospitalizations for worsening heart failure in these patients. The Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) observed during its conduct of the protocol-specified second interim analysis on the 6th of May, 2010 that the efficacy of eplerenone had met the pre-specified stopping rules in the protocol. As a result of the discussion between the DSMC and the Executive Steering Committee (ESC), the ESC recommended that EMPHASIS-HF should be terminated, Based on the convincing efficacy and the consideration that it would be unethical not to offer this treatment to patients, the ESC recommended that all the patients in the trial should be transferred to open-label eplerenone. The Open Label Extension eplerenone arm will last for 12 months. Eplerenone is not currently approved for the indication studied in this patient population. On May 26, 2010, further enrollment into EMPHASIS-HF was stopped. The amendment is considered to be the most appropriate way to ensure that all the subjects who participated in the double-blind phase of the EMPHASIS-HF trial can be offered treatment with eplerenone

At one site, patients participating in the Corona main study are asked to participate in the PET-substudy. Before and 6 months after study medication is started a Positron Emission Tomography (PET-scan) is performed to study the effect of rosuvastatin in Chronic Heart Failure on myocardial perfusion (reserve)

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of two doses of intravenous NATRECOR® hBNP (a recombinant form of the natural human peptide normally secreted by the heart) versus placebo in the treatment of patients with symptomatic, decompressed congestive heart failure (CHF).

Primary: To assess the efficacy of SR121463B in correcting hyponatremia in patients with dilutional hyponatremia other than SIADH or cirrhosis Secondary: To assess the long-term efficacy of SR121463B in maintaining normonatremia in these patients To assess the safety and tolerability of SR121463B

We hypothesize that b2 adrenergic polymorphisms affect b-receptor selectivity in patients with heart failure treated with either a b1-selective or a b-nonselective agent. b-2 polymorphisms may contribute to differing responses to drug treatment with beta-blockers in heart failure. Characterizing these polymorphisms may help explain the variability in the degree of "selectivity" of action of b-blockers at the b receptor, namely if their action is specific for the b-1 or b-2 receptor. Part A was conducted at the University of Utah, and all subjects completed study related activities. Part B (sub-study) consists of genotyping of blood samples collected in part A, which will be completed at the University of Wisconsin. Sub-study (samples and DNA isolation) or Part B entailed analyzing an extra 10 mL of blood that was taken for DNA isolation. Genotyping (i.e. determination of genetic makeup) of beta adrenergic polymorphisms utilized polymerase chain reaction followed by pyrosequencing.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that biventricular pacing (BiV) and left univentricular (left ventricular [LV] only) pacing are safe and effective for cardiac resynchronization therapy in heart failure patients implanted with a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) device. The hypothesis to be tested by this clinical investigation is that patients indicated for an ICD with cardiac resynchronization therapy respond as well to LV only pacing as to BiV pacing.