Active clinical trials for "Heart Failure"

The treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) is a key challenge in public health. Despite medical advances, 1-year mortality of NYHA III-IV CHF is 28%. Undernutrition is an independent risk factor for mortality and complications. Up-to-date, interventional studies involving nutrition are scarce in CHF. Academic societies are recommending the use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) in case of weight loss, without defining the modalities. ONS could improve nutritional status in undernourished CHF patients, but solely administered, have a limited impact on undernutrition, physical performance and prognosis. A multimodal approach integrating physical exercise, nutritional intakes, polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), and anabolizing hormones, has to be privileged. A recent trial has shown the clinical benefits of such an approach in patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency (CRI), who have similar nutritional and muscular characteristics. Exercise rehabilitation is well validated in CHF patients, but has never been validated in case of undernutrition. Exercise rehabilitation allows improving exercise capacity, quality of life and cardiovascular outcomes including mortality. N-3 PUFA supplementation improves muscle strength and endurance in CRI patients. n-3 PUFA supplementation decreases by 30% cardiovascular mortality of CHF patients. n-3 PUFA could be useful for CHF patients rehabilitation. Androgenopenia is a prognostic factor in CHF. Androgen substitution improves significantly muscle strength, walking endurance and quality of life. In the context of a multimodal approach, Androgen substitution together with exercise rehabilitation and ONS could have a beneficial effect on muscle mass, strength and endurance of CHF patients, as already described in CRI, elderly and HIV patients. The study hypotheses that a 3-month multimodal approach associating exercise rehabilitation, androgen substitution, n-3 PUFAs and ONS improves exercise capacity of undernourished CHF patients.

This is a Congressionally mandated study. In the original study, 16 demonstration programs provided care coordination services to beneficiaries with chronic illness in Medicare's fee-for-service program. A five-year CMS-funded study tested whether the programs can improve patients' use of medical services, improve patients' outcomes and satisfaction with care, and reduce Medicare costs. The study also assessed physicians' satisfaction with the programs. In 2008 Congress extended the project for two of the original programs--Mercy Medical Center - North Iowa and Health Quality Partners in Pennsylvania--and they will enroll Medicare beneficiaries and provide care coordination services into the spring of 2010.

The activity of the sympathetic nervous system seems to influence the uptake (and handling) of glucose by the skeletal muscle of the forearm. Conditions in which sympathetic activity is increased seem to inhibit/reduce forearm glucose uptake. Inversely a decrease in sympathetic activity seems to increase glucose uptake. This study analyzes the effect of alfa-adrenergic receptor blockade (counteracting sympathetic influence) on insulin-stimulated forearm glucose uptake in patients with increased sympathetic activity (patients with chronic heart failure).

Evaluation of a primary care based (family physicians) HF management strategy in patients with heart failure in the community

Heart failure is the most rapidly growing cardiovascular condition in developed countries. Despite advances in medical therapy, patients with heart failure are at high risk for death and hospitalization. Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy - defibrillators (CRT-D) are an effective treatment for heart failure. Despite the high success rate of a CRT-D implant, there is a possibility of 10% that the LV lead cannot be implanted in patients undergoing a trans-venous system implantation. In this case, the patients may undergo multiple procedures before a lead is successfully implanted. These implant failures are not due to patient selection but rather to patients heart anatomy leading to lead stability problems, phrenic nerve stimulation (also called diaphragmatic stimulation) and poor electrical measurements. The phrenic nerve is not part of the heart but runs near to this area on the way to a large muscle, called diaphragm, which separates the lung space from the space containing stomach, liver, kidneys and other internal organs in the abdomen. If the lead electrode is close to this nerve, it can cause a small part of it to contract giving you an uncomfortable hiccupping sensation. In many patients, phrenic nerve stimulation is not identified until after the implant procedure when movement and postural changes bring the LV lead into closer contact with the phrenic nerve. The investigation is performed to demonstrate the equality of performance of two different modalities of optimization of the implanted device and Quartet lead, Empirical (anatomical) optimization and Right Ventricle Left Ventricle (RVLV) conduction delay optimization.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of an interactive website on advance care planning for patients living with heart failure (HF-ACP website). The investigators will randomize patients to either the HF-ACP website or usual care to determine if the participants who use the HF-ACP website have higher advance care planning completion rates than participants assigned to usual care.

The investigators will conduct a feasibility study of an enhanced transitional care intervention, that will: 1) automate identification and risk-stratification of patients with CHF and IHD with social vulnerabilities; 2) incorporate a new standardized social vulnerabilities screening tool into clinical care; 3) enable electronic referrals to community resources; and 4) add novel community-based interventions to the existing medically-oriented transitional care intervention that is the standard of care at the study hospital (Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas) and other hospitals nationwide.

The study evaluates the pharmacokinetics of metformin in heart failure patients in acute and chronic state in relation to metformin transporter genotypes. Participants have heart failure and type 2 diabetes treated with metformin. Hypothesis: Primary: The renal clearance of metformin is decreased in acute state of congestive heart failure compared with chronic state. Secondary: Metformin trough values in HF patients are influenced by polymorphisms in transporter genes relevant to the pharmacokinetics of metformin.

Weight loss commonly occurs in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), negatively influencing their quality of life, treatment response and survival. Loss of muscle protein is generally a central component of weight loss in CHF and COPD patients, but patients also have reductions in fat mass and bone density, independent of the severity of the disease state. The purpose of this study is to provide detailed insight in disease related gut function by obtaining information on gut permeability, digestion and absorption of glucose, fat and protein in CHF and COPD patients compared to matched healthy controls. This will provide required information that is necessary to implement new strategies to develop optimal nutritional regimen in CHF and COPD.

Management of known patients with cardiovascular disease (in particular the whole spectrum of atherosclerotic ischaemic coronary artery disease, essential hypertension under treatment, and also patients with chronic heart failure under medication) and with other associated chronic pathologies, with obvious effects on the management of the pandemic with modern / distance means (e-Health) of patients at high risk of mortality in contact with coronavirus. Given the Covid-19 Pandemic, all the above complex cardiovascular patients are under the obligation to stay in the house isolated and can no longer come to standard clinical and paraclinical monitoring and control visits. Therefore, a remote management solution (tele-medicine) of these patients must be found. The Investigators endeavour is to create an electronic platform to communicate with these patients and offer solutions for their cardiovascular health issues (including psychological and religious problems due to isolation). The Investigators intend to create this platform for communicating with a patient and stratify their complaints in risk levels. A given specialist will sort and classify their needs on a scale, based on specific algorithms (derived from the clinical European Cardiovascular Guidelines), and generate specific protocols varying from 911 like emergencies to cardiological advices or psychological sessions. These could include medication changing of doses, dietary advices or exercise restrictions. Moreover, in those patients suspected of COVID infection, special assistance should be provided per protocol.