The Effects of Blood Flow Restriction With Low-intensity Resistance Training Versus Traditional...
StrokeIschemic1 moreStroke is the leading neurological disease in the world that causes long-term disability. The most common cause of disability after stroke is motor impairment resulting from brain damage which ultimately causes mobility and functional limitation. Worldwide, the incidence of stroke has been increased by 30% in the last decade. In Europe, more than one million cases have been reported each year and six million stroke survivors are known to be alive till now. The annual estimated cause of stroke treatment in Europe is twenty-seven billion Euros. By 2030, it is estimated that the cost of stroke treatment will be triple the current amount and can reach up to 184 billion dollars. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an economical rehabilitation program that prevents or reduces long-term disability after stroke.
Improving the Accuracy of Referrals of Patients With Chest Pain
Chest PainAcute Coronary Syndrome3 moreThis is a multicenter, prospective, investigator-initiated, randomized controlled trial aiming to reduce the percentage of non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) patients admitted to the cardiac emergency department (ED) by performing the modified HEART score by emergency medical transport (EMT) personnel.
ComputeD tomogrAphy angiographY for Left atrIal appendaGe tHrombus Detection in Acute Ischemic sTroke...
Acute Ischemic StrokeTransient Ischemic Attack1 moreEmbolic strokes of undetermined source (ESUS) represent a subset of cryptogenic strokes that are suspected to have an occult embolic source. The risk of stroke recurrence in patients with ESUS varies between 1.9%/year and 19.0%/year depending on the prevalence of vascular risk factors. Part of the elevated recurrence rate is due to the inability to identify high-risk treatable causes such as cardiac thrombi as those found in the LAA.The most frequently used diagnostic method in clinical practice to detect an LAA thrombus is transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). However, the relatively low availability, higher cost, and invasive nature of TEE limit its large-scale usability. In most stroke centers, patients presenting with an acute ischemic stroke or TIA undergo a tomography (CT) angiography (CTA) of the neck and intracranial vessels. This standard of care CTA (sCTA) classically includes the aortic arch, the higher portion of the ascending/descending aorta, and the rostral portion of the cardiac chambers, but does not involve the LAA. A recent study performed among 300 patients with an acute ischemic stroke showed an overall LAA thrombus detection of 6.6% and 15% in patients with AF by extending the CTA 3 cm below the carina.This is an extraordinarily high prevalence of LAA compared to 0.5% to 4.8% of intracardiac thrombi identified on TEE in most previous studies. The major limitation of previous CTA and TEE studies is their observational design, so the differing prevalence of LAA thrombi could be explained by dissimilar population characteristics. Based on the methodological limitation of prior studies and the promising role of extended CTAs (eCTA), a randomized controlled trial comparing eCTA + standard of care stroke workup vs. sCTA + standard of care stroke workup is needed.
Delineating Between Pathophysiologic Phenotypes of Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury After Cardiac Arrest...
Hypoxia-IschemiaBrainThe main outcome determinant following cardiac arrest is hypoxic ischemic brain injury. Management has involved increasing the delivery of oxygen to the brain. This logic assumes that oxygen transport from blood into the brain is normal. We have demonstrated that this assumption is not true. A large proportion of post-cardiac arrest patients demonstrate an inability to unload oxygen into the brain. The mechanisms explaining this observation are unclear. This project involves using a series of evaluations to differentiate post-cardiac arrest patients who exhibit normal and abnormal oxygen transport dynamics and also investigate the underlying mechanisms for abnormal oxygen transport.
Subcutaneous Nitroglycerin to Prevent Radial Artery Occlusion in Children
Arterial LineIschemiaThe primary objective of the study is to evaluate the vasodilative effect of subcutaneous nitroglycerin to prevent radial arterial occlusion(RAO) after removal of the radial arterial catheter in pediatric patients. The hypothesis of this study is that subcutaneous nitroglycerin will decrease the incidence of radial arterial occlusion after radial arterial catheter removal in pediatric patients by increasing the radial artery size and improving the first-attempt success rate of radial artery cannulation. This is a single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study comparing the effect of subcutaneous nitroglycerin and saline on radial artery cannulation and catheter removal in pediatric patients. Prior to the procedure, each patient will be randomized into either the control arm, saline, or the study arm, nitroglycerin.
Evaluation of the Impact of the Repositioning Schedule Adapted to the Risk of Pressure Ulcer of...
Pressure UlcerIschemic1 morePressure ulcers represent a major health issue because of their high incidence and their important consequences. There is an important risk of pressure ulcer acquisition for ICU patients with acute organ failure(s). Specific risk factors identified in ICU are immobility, which accentuates the effects of friction and shears, as well as mechanical ventilation and the use of vasopressors. A repositioning schedule is a guideline for pressure ulcer prevention, but repositioning frequency remains unknown. Adaptation of the repositioning schedule to pressure ulcer risk assessment using Braden scale should decrease the emergence of pressure ulcer. This could limit their important consequences for ICU patients which add to their brittle clinical condition (infection, increased length of stay, mortality…).
Maintenance of Physical Activity After Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiovascular DiseasesHeart Diseases4 morePhysical activity is a key element in cardiac rehabilitation and prevention of cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations. After cardiac rehabilitation programs end, physical activity levels and participation in continued cardiac rehabilitation declines. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility a mobile health intervention with text messages and behavior change theory in patients with cardiovascular disease for a duration of 3 months after completion of a cardiac rehabilitation program. An intervention consisting of action planning, text messages, and coordinator support is tested in a feasibility trial design with 40 expected participants.
Prophylactic vs Therapeutic Cerebrospinal Fluid Drain Placement During Endovascular Thoracoabdominal...
Spinal Cord IschemiaThis is a pilot study to be performed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Massachusetts to determine the feasibility and develop the processes for a future randomized controlled trial to evaluate the occurrence of spinal cord ischemia after endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair using prophylactic cerebrospinal fluid drains versus no pre-emptive drain. The research question to be addressed is as follows: In the setting of a comprehensive spinal cord ischemia prevention protocol, do prophylactic CSF drains decrease the rate of spinal cord ischemia (SCI) in patients undergoing endovascular thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair?
Periodontal Treatment and Ischemic Stroke
StrokeIschemic1 moreA bulk of observational evidence suggests an association between periodontitis and recurrent vascular events in ischemic stroke survivors. One plausible biological mechanism relies on the systemic inflammatory response posed by periodontitis together with changes in the normal function of the vascular endothelium which might lead to recurrence in these population. A non-pharmacological anti-inflammatory treatment (non-surgical periodontal therapy) has shown to reduce systemic inflammatory markers and improve endothelial function. Therefore, we propose to carry out a 1-year follow-up pilot randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate whether control of local and systemic inflammation as well as improve function of the vascular endothelium can lead to reduce the risk of recurrence in patients diagnosed from ischemic stroke.
The Effect of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning on Myocardial Injury After Noncardiac Surgery
Myocardial InjuryNon-cardiac Surgery1 moreThis is a multicentre, parallel-group, randomised, sham-controlled, observer blinded trial, assessing the efficacy of remote ischemic preconditioning on preventing myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery.