Active clinical trials for "Myocardial Infarction"

Background: Experimental studies suggest that remote limb ischaemic postconditioning (RemPostCon) can reduce infarct size in pigs. Initial clinical applications support the beneficial role of RemPostCon in preserving endothelial function during upper limb ischemia in healthy volunteers and in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Aim of the study: To evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of RemPostCon in the setting of STEMI and primary PCI (pPCI) and to investigate potential circulating mediators of its effects. Patients and methods: Patients who undergo pPCI for anterior STEMI within 6 hours since the onset of symptoms are randomly assigned to receive either RemPostCon + pPCI or pPCI alone in a single-blind fashion. All patients receive therapy according to the current international guidelines. Three cycles of ischemia-reperfusion are provided to the lower limb inflating a cuff to 200 mmHg. Each cycle consists of 5' of ischaemia, followed by 5' of reperfusion. RemPostCon is started at the time of angioplasty in the infarct related artery. Primary endpoint is the area under the curve (AUC) of creatinine kinase - MB (CK - MB). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is performed early before discharge and 4 months after the event, if there are no contraindications.

The instigators hypothesize that IVIG, given in the acute phase following MI in patients at risk for developing HF, will improve cardiac performance, and by attenuating cardiac remodeling in this phase, such therapy will prevent the development of chronic HF resulting in long term beneficial effect also after the therapy has been stopped.

The core and extension studies assessed the safety and efficacy of aliskiren when added to optimized standard therapy in patients that have had a high risk acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, T2D is a disease characterized by an immense growing prevalence world wide with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. GLP-1 has convincing effects on the high glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients and is well tolerated. New animal studies indicate a protective effect of GLP-1 in the brain and the heart. The mechanism behind this is yet not known. The study hypothesis is that during hypoglycaemia GLP-1 will stimulate glucose-uptake in the brain and heart independent of insulin and thereby exert protective effects in the brain.

Rationale: A safety and dose defining study in which the investigators hypothesize that in patients with acute coronary syndrome without ST-elevation (NSTEMI) treatment with heme arginate results in better clinical outcome by inducing the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway. Objective: 1) Is induction of HO-1 and its degradation products, especially bilirubin, safe in patients with an acute coronary syndrome without ST-elevation; 2) What is the optimal effective dose to administer in patients with NSTEMI; 3) Are HO-1 and its degradation products endogenously activated in patients with acute coronary syndrome; 4) Does treatment with heme arginate result in a less cardiac damage; 5) Which other cardioprotecting pathways are activated by administration of heme arginate? Study population: Male and female patients with confirmed acute coronary syndrome without ST-elevation, between 18 - 80 yr old. Intervention: 10 patients receive a single administration of heme arginate (3 mg/kg), administered intravenously in 15 minutes directly after admission; 10 patients receive two administrations of heme arginate (3 mg/kg) on day 0 and 1; 10 patients receive three administrations of heme arginate (3 mg/kg) on day 0, 1 and 2 after admission, administered intravenously in 15 minutes. To determine endogenous levels of HO-1 and time course of HO-1 activation after NSTEMI, blood is drawn and the same assays are performed in 15 patients with NSTEMI. As controls for the blood tests, blood is drawn and the same assays are performed in 15 patients with non-typical angina pectoris in whom no cardiac disease could be detected from the investigators out-patient clinic. Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary endpoint is the incidence rate of adverse events between the three treated groups. This includes hemodynamic monitoring, rhythm monitoring and biochemical and hematological difference between the three treated groups. Secondary endpoints are the differences from baseline between heme arginate treated groups in activity of the HO-1 pathway, including, but not limited to, HO-1 activity, free heme, bilirubin (direct and indirect) levels, serum ferritin, and carbon monoxide (CO). Furthermore, differences between heme arginate treated groups on NTproBNP, CK-MB and Troponin T and difference between heme arginate treated subjects in LVEF measured by echocardiography, 3 and 7 days and 6 months after NSTEMI.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) is the preferred treatment in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The infarct-related artery (IRA) can be opened in more than 90% of the patients. However, STEMI patients still end up with a persistent perfusion defect of highly variable magnitude indicating that adjunctive treatment may add further protection against tissue damage. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is an intervention by which myocardium threatened by ischemia is exposed to short and repeated sublethal ischemic episodes prior to sustained ischemia (local IPC). A systemic response with protection of more remote organs (remote IPC (rIPC)) also can be induced. We have recently found that the infarct reducing effect can be obtained by obstruction of an extremity even though the remote stimulus is initiated during sustained occlusion of a coronary artery, the so-called remote preconditioning (rPerC). The clinical perspective is now to examine if rPerC can reduce the infarct size in patients with unpredictable ischemia in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We perform a randomized study where patients en route for pPCI are allocated to either rPerC or a standard treatment to evaluate whether the tissue damage can be reduced. Effect measure will be infarct size determined by scintigraphy (final infarct size and salvage).

Following severe heart attacks involving the front wall of the heart (anterior myocardial infarction), patients are at risk of developing blood clots in the main pumping chamber that can cause a stroke. In the past, studies have shown that a blood thinner (warfarin) can decrease the risk of stroke and clot formation if administered to patients after an anterior myocardial infarction. However, in today's current practice, certain heart attack patients are commonly treated with two blood-thinning medications (aspirin and clopidogrel) to prevent recurrent heart attacks. Thus, a clinical problem is created as physicians are not clear how to treat patients after an anterior myocardial infarction who are at risk of a clot but require aspirin and clopidogrel to keep their blood vessels open. Adding warfarin to the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel will possibly decrease the risk of stroke but increase the risk of bleeding. Currently, there is no good evidence to help guide physicians. As demonstrated by a survey done at the Hamilton Health Sciences, there is a fifty/fifty split between physicians who use dual (aspirin and clopidogrel) versus triple (aspirin, clopidogrel, and warfarin) therapy in the treatment of similar patients as described above. The purpose of this study is to address the bleeding and stroke complications in patients after a severe anterior myocardial infarction. Half of the eligible patients will receive dual therapy and half will receive triple therapy. We will compare the incidence of stroke, blood clots, and bleeding complications between the two groups at 3 months.

The aim of the study is to test the efficacy of low versus high volume hydration and two different solutions (sodium chloride versus sodium bicarbonate) in preventing contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary PCI.

Stenosis of the coronary arteries may be treated by balloon dilatation followed by the implantation of a metal stent. However, restenosis occurs in 10-20% of patients treated with bare metal stents (BMS). Restenosis and treatment of restenosis is associated with risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and death. Drug eluting stents (DES)release drugs to the vessel wall that delay or inhibit the process of restenosis. Some reports have found that DES are associated with risk of acute stent thrombosis, MI and death. The precise magnitude of this risk is not known. Current evidence is therefore insufficient to balance the long-term risk and benefit of BMS vs DES. The purpose of this trial is to compare the long-term effects on MI and total mortality of BMS vs DES. The trial will recruit 8000 patients from 8 Norwegian hospitals. The patients will be randomized to treatment with BMS or DES. Clinical events will be registered for 5 years after treatment. The study hypothesis is that there is no difference in the risk of death or myocardial infarction after treatment with BMS vs DES. The trial is initiated and run by university researchers and is sponsored by not-for-profit organizations.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether intracoronary abciximab bolus application with subsequent 12 hour intravenous infusion in addition to primary percutaneous coronary intervention is beneficial for patients with STEMI in comparison to standard i.v. bolus application with respect to 90-day mortality, reinfarction and new congestive heart failure.