Active clinical trials for "Myocardial Ischemia"

The purpose of this study is to design and evaluate targeted implementation strategies to fully integrate the VHA clinical practice guidelines for ischemic heart disease into VHA clinical practice. Effectively implementing the guideline will enhance the quality, appropriateness, timeliness, and cost effectiveness of care delivered to veterans with ischemic heart disease.

Studies were found that a significant relationship between the severe periodontitis and increased CAVI values. While the exact mechanisms linking periodontitis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are not yet fully understood, it is clear that these diseases are interconnected. There are limited data in the literature evaluating the risk of atherosclerosis in diabetic individuals with periodontal disease. In our survey, we hypothesised that severe periodontitis may be a risk factor for the development of subclinical atherosclerosis among people with type 2 diabetes. Thus, we aimed to investigate the potential risk of subclinical atherosclerosis by using a new surrogate marker CAVI in severe periodontitis patients with short-term diabetes.

Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAD) has been considered the leading cause of death in both developed and developing countries. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a major therapy of CAD in the world, mainly used for patients with left main disease, multi-vessel complex disease, stent implantation failure, heart failure and diabetes. Studies have demonstrated that significant angiographic defects up to 12% of grafts, which was observed by immediate coronary angiography after CABG. Despite secondary prevention were performed in patients after CABG, the early failure rate at 1 year is higher, up to 15-20%, the 10-year patency rate of internal mammary artery graft is 85%, and the 10-year patency rate of saphenous vein graft is only 61%, and 10-20% of patients require revascularization within 10 years after CABG. Patients with failed grafts usually have a higher surgical risk and the morality of repeat CABG is 2-4 times higher than primary surgery. Because of the poor clinical prognosis of patients undergoing repeat CABG, PCI is the preferred treatment strategy for revascularization in patients with previous CABG. In patients with previous CABG, approximately 75% of PCI target vessels are native vessels. Compared with native vessel PCI, bypass graft PCI has a higher rate of short- and long-term major adverse events, including more than double the in-hospital mortality rate. Some studies support the above view，but others denied. Therefore, the primary study mainly to explore the effect of native vessel PCI or graft PCI on the prognosis of patients with previous CABG.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is increasingly recognized as an important indicator for long-term prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (angio-IMR) is a novel guidewire-free measure for CMD in patients with AMI. Ticagrelor has recently been suggested to have additional benefits on coronary microcirculation beyond its antiplatelet effect. This study was designed to compare the protective effects of ticagrelor and clopidogrel on CMD and prognostic impact in patients with AMI, using the angio-IMR as a novel assessment tool.

Participants aged 80 years or over, who attend Castle Hill Hospital with either stable angina or an acute coronary syndrome will be invited to participate in the study. After induction into the study, these participants will be assessed for frailty and quality of life (QoL) using predetermined assessment tools. Quality of life (QoL) will be assessed using the standardised SF-12 questionnaire proforma. Frailty assessment will be based on the use of the Fried Frailty Phenotype criteria and the Edmonton Frailty Scale. Patients will be reassessed at 3,9 and 24 months for their clinical outcomes, repeat frailty assessment and quality of life.

In acute coronary artery disease, pre-clinical studies have indicated that, during a continuous infusion of intravenous perfluorocarbon containing microbubbles, the ultrasonic power delivered from a diagnostic ultrasound transducer is capable of restoring microcirculatory flow and improving epicardial recanalization rates obtained by conventional therapy, a process known by Sonothrombolysis. The investigators proposed to examine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of such an ultrasound guided approach in 100 patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Atherosclerotic disease is responsible for one third of all deaths annually and is a major cause of comorbidities. While atherosclerosis is by itself a benign disease, it often leads to complications such as acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation. Rescue angioplasty is indicated if thrombolytic therapy fails. However, the benefits in reducing mortality and the amount of myocardium effectively saved are not well established. The development of new tools, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to identify myocardial area at risk and infarcted increased diagnostic accuracy. However, unlike the context of primary angioplasty, little is known about the relation between coronary epicardial and microvascular flow after rescue angioplasty and myocardial salvage. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether there is a relation between these flows and myocardial salvage identified by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). At the end of this research, the investigators hope to contribute to a better understanding of coronary flow and its relation to the amount of heart muscle saved after rescue angioplasty. This is an important information that can help understand which cases benefit most from rescue angioplasty.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Life threatening manifestations such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and sudden cardiac death are the most important causes of death in many countries. Cardiac troponin is a biomarker with a high specificity for cardiac necrosis and is recommended for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction by the Universal definition of myocardial infarction. Since a new generation of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays has become commercially available a few years ago, myocardial infarction can be detected earlier and even small AMIs, that were classified as unstable angina pectoris (UAP) with the less sensitive assays, are detectable now. On the other side, more patients with acute or chronic myocardial damage not due to AMI are identified now. Thereby, the reason for elevated troponin levels should be sought actively, because high troponin levels were associated with adverse outcome - independent of the underlying pathomechanism. The reasons for troponin elevations in patients with stable CAD are not clear yet. Associations with extensive atherosclerosis, carotid lesions and complex coronary plaques in coronary CT scans were reported. Therefore, patients with elevated troponin levels represent a risk population and might profit from intensified secondary prevention. In this context, ticagrelor might be part of a prevention strategy as currently tested in the PEGASUS trial. We plan to conduct a single-centre pilot study in a cohort with clinically stable patients of our outpatient clinic, because data regarding prevalence, causes and prognosis of elevated troponin values in unselected cohorts is sparse. Therefore, all patients (n=910) that presented to our outpatient clinic 12 months after introduction of the high-sensitivity troponin T assay (june 2009) and were free of complaints or presented with UAP are being enrolled. All patients are characterized by demographic, laboratory and clinical characteristics (including medication) and all available imaging data (exercise-ecg, echocardiography, stress-echocardiography, computed tomography, cardiac MRI and coronary angiography) in order to compare baseline characteristics of troponin positive and troponin negative patients. In addition, the Framingham- and PROCAM-Score representing established calculators of long-term risk prediction are calculated. Prognostic endpoints are defined as severe cardiovascular events and progress of the initially diagnosed disease. Those endpoints are associated with the initial hs-cTnT value and serial changes.

Antiplatelet therapy is the cornerstone for the prevention of atherothrombosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the efficacy and safety of antiplatelet therapy are varied due to ethnic and/or individual variability. The aim of the OPT-CAD study was to demonstrate contemporary status and outcomes of antiplatelet therapy in Chinese CAD patients, and to explore predictors of ischemic or bleeding events in such cohort.Patients above 18 years old who were diagnosed as CAD and received antiplatelet therapy were prospectively enrolled in this national wide, non-intervention registry. All medications and laboratory tests were physician discretion.

The purpose of this study is to compare the response to aspirin in the acute phase with the late phase of an acute coronary syndrome.