
Statin Recapture Therapy Before Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Coronary Artery DiseasePatients with coronary artery disease requiring coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are at risk for postoperative complications after surgery. The StaRT-CABG trial is the first large-scale (2,630 patients) that will investigate whether an additional treatment with statins (lipid-lowering medication) in high doses before CABG surgery can reduce the incidence of major post-surgery complications including death, myocardial infarction and stroke. The StaRT-CABG trial will be recruiting patients from 8 cardiac surgery centres in Germany and is expected to provide relevant clinical data on the efficacy of this novel treatment in order to optimize the care for all patients undergoing CABG.

Comparison of Double Kissing Culotte Stenting With Double Kissing Crush Stenting for True Bifurcation...
Coronary Heart DiseasePercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesion (BL) remains a challenging task. The DK-crush have been established as a safe and efficacious dual-stenting technique, which can effectively improve the success rate of final kissing balloon inflation (FKBI) and reduce long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE). However, in the clinical real world, especially when the bifurcation angle was relatively small, the DK-crush still has several limitations, such as kissing unsatisfied (KUS), relatively complex wiring or rewiring technique, incomplete stent coverage in the distal side of the side-branch ostium and near the carina, severe stent deformation or evenly acute stent destruction. Our observational study showed that the DK-culotte was also a safe and feasible dual-stenting technique and was equal to DK-crush in terms of improving FKBI and MACE. Nonetheless, there remain no studies for head-to-head comparison of clinical outcomes between the two approaches. We, thereby, carry out a multicentre, non-inferior, randomized and controlled trial to compare DK-culotte stenting versus DK-crush stenting in the treatment of true BL.

Safety Study of PZ-128 in Subjects With Multiple Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors
Vascular DiseaseCoronary Artery Disease Risk Factors MultipleThis study is a Phase I, intravenous, single-dose escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of PZ-128 (pepducin inhibitor of PAR1) in subjects with vascular disease or who have 2 or more coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors.

Effect of Atorvastatin on Fractional Flow Reserve in Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Artery DiseaseNatural course of intermediate coronary artery disease (CAD) is very important to predict the prognosis of the patient with such disease. Several studies have well demonstrated the beneficial effect of lipid-lowering therapy on the progression of CAD with the modification of lipid profiles. This effect can be also explained by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography. However, the effect of plaque modification on coronary physiology has been rarely evaluated. This research is to evaluate the change of intermediate or nonculprit coronary lesion on lipid-lowering therapy via IVUS(optional) and FFR.

ISCHEMIA-Chronic Kidney Disease Trial
Cardiovascular DiseasesCoronary Artery Disease4 moreThe purpose of the ISCHEMIA-CKD trial is to determine the best management strategy for patients with stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD), at least moderate inducible ischemia and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD; estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] <30 ml/min/1.73 m² or on dialysis). This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial of 777 randomized participants with advanced CKD. Participants were assigned at random to a routine invasive strategy (INV) with cardiac catheterization (cath) followed by revascularization (if suitable) plus optimal medical therapy (OMT) or to a conservative strategy (CON) of OMT, with cath and revascularization reserved for those who fail OMT. The trial is designed to run seamlessly in parallel to the main ISCHEMIA trial as a companion trial. SPECIFIC AIMS A. Primary Aim. The primary aim of the ISCHEMIA-CKD trial is to determine whether an invasive strategy of cardiac cath followed by optimal revascularization, in addition to OMT, will reduce the primary composite endpoint of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction in participants with SIHD and advanced CKD over an average follow-up of approximately 2.8 years compared with an initial conservative strategy of OMT alone with catheterization reserved for those who fail OMT. The primary endpoint is time to centrally adjudicated death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI). B. Secondary Aims. Major: To compare the incident of the composite of death, nonfatal MI, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or hospitalization for unstable angina or heart failure, and angina symptoms and quality of life, as assessed by the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, between the INV and CON strategies. Other secondary aims include: comparing the incidence of the composite of death, nonfatal MI, hospitalization for unstable angina, hospitalization for heart failure, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or stroke; composite of death, nonfatal MI, or stroke; composite endpoints incorporating cardiovascular death; composite endpoints incorporating other definitions of MI as defined in the clinical event charter; individual components of the primary and major secondary endpoints; stroke and health resource utilization, costs, and cost effectiveness. A major secondary aim of ISCHEMIA-CKD trial is to compare the quality of life (QOL) outcomes-patients' symptoms, functioning and well-being-between those assigned to an invasive strategy as compared with a conservative strategy. In the protocol, angina frequency and disease-specific quality of life measured by the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) Angina Frequency and Quality of Life scales, respectively, are described as the tools that will be used to make this comparative assessment. Recent work has indicated that it is possible to combine the information from the individual domain scores in the SAQ into a new Summary Score that captures the information from the SAQ Angina Frequency, Physical Limitation and Quality of Life scales into a single overall score. The advantages of using a summary score as the primary measure of QOL effects of a therapy are a single primary endpoint comparison rather than two or three (eliminating concerns some may have about multiple comparisons) and a more intuitive holistic (patient-centric) interpretation of the effectiveness results. With these advantages in mind, the ISCHEMIA leadership has agreed that the SAQ Summary Score will be designated as the primary way this secondary endpoint will be analyzed and interpreted, with the individual SAQ scores being used in a secondary, explanatory and descriptive role. A key subgroup analysis will be to stratify the results among those with daily/weekly angina (baseline SAQ Angina Frequency score ≤60), monthly angina (SAQ Angina Frequency score 61-99) and no angina (SAQ Angina Frequency score = 100). Condition: Coronary Disease Procedure: Cardiac catheterization Phase: Phase III Condition: Cardiovascular Diseases Procedure: Angioplasty, Transluminal, Percutaneous Coronary, other catheter-based interventions Phase: Phase III Condition: Heart Diseases Procedure: Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Phase: Phase III

Switching From Ticagrelor to Clopidogrel in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Artery DiseaseThe recommended antiplatelet treatment regimen for patients affected by acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) consists in the combination of aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor. More potent P2Y12 receptor inhibitors, such as ticagrelor, have been developed which are associated with less response variability than clopidogrel and better clinical outcomes. Ticagrelor use has increased significantly because of its more expanded Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indications compared with prasugrel. However, despite the evidence for sustained efficacy and safety, many physicians limit treatment duration with ticagrelor to the early phases following an ACS mostly due to cost issues and concerns about increased bleeding. Therefore, it is very common in clinical practice to switch patients while on maintenance dosing (MD) with ticagrelor to treatment with clopidogrel. However, the pharmacodynamic (PD) effects of switching from ticagrelor to clopidogrel remain unknown. Therefore, the aim of this investigation is to evaluate the PD effects of switching from ticagrelor to clopidogrel.

Comparison of a CrossBoss First Versus Standard Wire Escalation Strategy for Crossing Coronary Chronic...
ArteriosclerosisCoronary Artery Disease2 moreCrossBoss First is a single-blind randomized controlled trial that will randomize 246 patients undergoing clinically-indicated Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, to upfront use of the CrossBoss catheter vs. antegrade guidewire escalation strategy The "CrossBoss First" study has two primary objectives. The primary efficacy objective is to compare the procedure time required to cross the CTO or abort the procedure with a CrossBoss first vs. antegrade wire escalation strategy. The investigators hypothesize that upfront use of the CrossBoss catheter will be associated with shorter procedure time required for CTO crossing compared with an antegrade wire escalation strategy. The primary safety objective is to compare the frequency of procedural major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with upfront use of CrossBoss vs. a guidewire escalation strategy. The investigators hypothesize that upfront use of the CrossBoss catheter will be associated with similar incidence of MACE compared with an antegrade wire escalation strategy. The secondary endpoints are: (1) technical and procedural success4-6; (2) total procedure time (defined as the interval between administration of local anesthesia for obtaining vascular access and removal of the last catheter); (3) fluoroscopy time to cross the CTO and total fluoroscopy time; (4) total air kerma radiation exposure; (5) total contrast volume; and (6) number of wires, microcatheters, balloons, and stents used.

Ranolazine Mediated PVC Reduction in Ischemic Heart Disease
Ventricular Premature ComplexesMyocardial IschemiaThe purpose of this study is to determine whether ranolazine has beneficial effects on cardiac ischemia through reduction of premature ventricular contraction burden.

Reversal of the Anti-platelet Effects of Ticagrelor
Coronary Artery DiseaseThe purpose of this study is to determine the proportion of untreated donor platelets required to fully reverse the platelet inhibitory effects of ticagrelor and aspirin in healthy persons and patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and receiving ticagrelor.

Aquatic Aerobic Training, Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Variables in Coronary Artery Disease
ArteriosclerosisCoronaryAlthough approaches to reduce cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of mortality in the industrialized world. In order to reduce the deleterious effects of the atherosclerotic process, proposals for non-pharmacological treatment have been used, such as cardiac rehabilitation programs, with emphasis on exercise -based therapy. Traditionally aerobic exercises like biking, walking and jogging are conducted, however, alternative ways such as aquatic exercise training have been proposed, however, the cardiorespiratory adaptations in this population are not well documented in the literature. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of aquatic aerobic training (AAT) on body composition, autonomic modulation of heart rate (HR) and cardiorespiratory and metabolic variables in patients with CAD. This was a longitudinal clinical trial with a sample allocated for convenience, in which twenty-one patients were male, with a diagnosis of CAD, which were divided into control group (CG were studied, n=8), who was only assessed, and training group (TG, n=13). All patients underwent assessment of body composition, heart rate variability (HRV) at rest in the supine posture, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), performed before and after the AAT program. The training protocol consisted of three sessions per week on alternate days for 16 weeks, totaling 48 sessions, which had lasted approximately one hour. The exercise intensity was prescribed between 80 and 110% of the first ventilatory threshold (VT1) obtained in CPET. Given that these parameters represent risk markers for cardiovascular events in the population studied, the results suggest that the AAT proposed in this study may be an important therapeutic strategy to be incorporated into cardiac rehabilitation programs.