Active clinical trials for "Heart Failure"

The objective of this controlled, non-randomized, single-center pilot study (CoSeal arm prospective)study is to evaluate the efficacy of the synthetic surgical hydrogel CoSeal® in the prevention of cardiac adhesion formation in patients submitted to VAD procedures.

This study will examine the efficacy of group therapy utilizing the Existential Approach in heart failure patients when compared to a control group of patients who are waiting for the same group treatment. This comparison will be achieved by measuring changes in the variables studied namely, the levels of psychological distress and levels of psycho-social adjustment.

The purpose of this research is to determine if two proteins in the blood are increased during acute myocardial infarction and whether their levels are higher in those who develop heart failure than those who do not. These two proteins are produced and potentially released when the heart muscle is damaged. They may then be released into the blood and be detected by standard method in the research laboratory. At this time, detection of an increase in these proteins in the blood is not known to be associated with any disease or myocardial infarction.

The overall purpose of this study is to determine the effects of adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) and bi-level ventilators on Cheyne-Stocks respiration (CSR). CSR is a pattern of breathing characterized by hyperpneas followed by hypopneas and or apneas. Clinically, the physiologic changes translate to sleep fragmentation, excessive daytime sleepiness, reduced exercise capacity and possibly ventricular arrhythmias. The intent of the proposed intervention is to compare the efficacies of ASV and Bi-level ventilator on CSR.

This study is to look at the differences between people who have evidence of abnormal heart relaxation (diastolic dysfunction) on sound wave pictures of the heart (an echocardiogram) compared to those who do not. If you have abnormal relaxation, it can be a cause of shortness of breath or can be present without knowing about it. A condition known as oxidative stress mayb e associated with this abnormal relaxation. This condition occurs when abnormal oxygen injures heart cells. We would like to learn if patients with abnormal relaxation have increased oxidative stress.

Beta Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) is regarded as the most sensitive test for congestive heart failure (CHF). BNP has also been found to be highly predictive of other conditions including pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism and in the general population where mild increases are associated with stroke and heart attack. BNP is also weakly and variably correlated with renal function. We believe that each dialysis patient will have an ideal or "dry" BNP level which will accurately and reproducibly reflect their optimal fluid status. Secondary hypotheses are that baseline BNP and troponin, as well as changes in BNP and troponin during dialysis, will be highly predictive of mortality and adequacy of dialysis.

Use lay language. Background: Heart failure is an increasingly frequent current pathology due to the population aging and the improvement of acute and chronic heart failure management. Heart failure patients have a poor quality of life because of their symptoms (asthenia, dyspnea…) and frequent hospitalizations. Heart failure is an expensive disease: 1.5 % of the health expenses, 85 % in hospital cost with 200 000 hospitalizations in France per year. Previous studies were multidisciplinary interventions and not realistic in a daily practice for a general practitioner. The aim of this project is to integrate therapeutic education for heart failure patients in a current practice. The patient becomes competent to manage his disease and to identify acute heart failure signs. Main objective: Improve therapeutic education efficiency on life quality of heart failure patients in general practice. Second objectives: Describe heart failure patient's hospitalizations. Methods: Cluster randomized controlled clinical trial comparing intervention and control groups with a follow through for 19 months for each patient. A therapeutic education program will be proposed to the heart failure patients in primary care. The intervention group GP will follow a workshop concerning the therapeutic education concepts and the intervention. Endpoints: Life quality evaluation (SF-36 and Minnesota scales) and number of hospitalizations of patients in each group. Population: Heart failure patients in stages I, II, and III of NYHA in primary care. Cluster randomized surgeries in Auvergne (France). Expected results: The therapeutic education allows the patients to improve their quality of life, to be able to detect their illness signs worsening in a early manner, and to contact their doctor if needed. This would limit the acute heart failure due to treatment adaptation or life habits.

To evaluate whether cardiac output manipulation via a cardiac pacemaker can stabilise ventilation.

The purpose of the project is to conduct a physician-initiated Canadian multicentre observational research study that compares physician judgement and model prediction to estimate one-year survival in ambulatory heart failure (HF) patients and evaluate the use of resources according to physician intuitive risk. This study will evaluate the accuracy and impact of physician intuition and predictive models in the assessment of prognosis in ambulatory HF patients by: comparing 1-year physician predicted survival and 1-year observed survival to 1-year model predicted survival; evaluating whether model performance could be enhanced by incorporating physician intuition; evaluating the accuracy of physician intuition according to level of confidence in physician intuition (very low, low, moderate, high or very high); evaluating whether physician expertise impacts accuracy of physician intuition; and evaluating patient management and use of resources according to physician estimated survival.

This study hypothesis is that Semaphorins 3A and 4D levels are overexpressed in patients with heart failure. Study protocol: Hospitallized patients with new onset or previously diagnosed heart failure will be recruited to the study. Control group will include healthy people with no medical records or chronic treatment at the same age range. After signing an informed constent form, full medical history and blood samples will be collected. A second blood sample will be collected 8 weeks later, assuming the patient was discharged and not hospitalized since than. The blood samples will be analyzed by Bnai Zion Medical Center Immunology labs for the above semaphorins levels in the heart failure group and control group. Statistical analysis will then commence for possible correlatoion with different clinical parameters.