Active clinical trials for "Atrial Fibrillation"

This study is designed to compare the performance of both 6 and 10 electrode ECGs from the handheld device with the conventional 12 lead ECG. As well as comparing the detection of atrial fibrillation, the study will also compare the detection of other heart problems and of normal heart rhythm.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Internet-based integrated-management Program on increasing coping strategies, medical adherence and HRQoL, and reducing readmission in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common forms of heart rhythm disorder in patients with cardiovascular diseases. The choice of treatment for AF is a complex problem, depending on the form (paroxysmal, persistent, permanent) of AF, clinical manifestations of cardiac arrhythmias, associated diseases, the effectiveness of antiarrhythmic drugs. The accumulated data to date indicate an efficacy of the method of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of the paroxysmal form of AF. The RFA procedure does not eliminate the pathological processes that take place during developed AF. This dictates the need to develop and test new technologies and physical rehabilitation programmes for patients. The positive clinical effects of physical rehabilitation programmes based on moderate-intensity exercises are well known. The search for drugs capable of improving the results of RFA for AF in patients becomes urgent. This creates the prerequisites for the study of the clinical efficacy of trimetazidine MV in the rehabilitation of patients with cardiac diseases who underwent treatment of AF with RFA, which will optimize the management of such patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the possible effects of supplementation with 1.8 g/day of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during a follow-up period of 2 years in an elderly population after having experienced an acute myocardial infarction. The hypothesis is that this supplementation on top of modern therapy will reduce the combined cardiovascular end-point of death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularizations or hospitalization for new or worsened heart failure with at least 30%.

This propsective study aims to compare the diagnostic yield of a Personal Heart Rhythm Monitor (PHRM) with an automated cardiac event recorder (ACER) to detect paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation PAF). The investigators hypothesise that the PHRM, used intermittently for 3 months, will detect significantly more cases of PAF than the ACER, used continuously for one week. A case-control sub-study will identify individuals with confirmed PAF, and matched individuals with no evidence of PAF, to identify potential serum biomarkers for PAF. A further case-control study will assess markers of left atrial function in patients with PAF and their matched controls. Another case-control sub-study will determine the significance of frequent Atrial Premature Beats (APBs) in the development of AF over a one year period.

Cognitive and functional decline observed in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are related to thrombotic and/or cardioembolic events. Use of warfarin for the prevention of stroke in AF patients, despite effective, remains beyond desired levels because of interactions with food and fluctuations in blood levels. Because of a more stable anticoagulation state, Dabigatran may offer better protection against thrombotic phenomenon and, consequently, mitigate the process of cognitive and functional compromise.

More than 2 million patients in North America are treated with warfarin - a "blood thinner" - to prevent blood clots in arteries or veins. The treatment has to be monitored with a blood test and the dose changed accordingly every 1-4 weeks. One third of the patients have very stable results and hardly ever have to change the dose. The investigators wish to show that the level of control of the treatment with warfarin in these very stable patients is not worse with 12-weekly testing. A pilot study the investigators performed indicated that 12-weekly testing would be safe but this has to be confirmed in a large study. One third of patients taking warfarin have not had any changes in the dose for the past 6 months or longer. These patients will be asked about participation in the study. They will be randomized to testing and dosing every 4 or 12 weeks. Each patient is in the study until it ends, which will be minimum 1 year and can be up to about 4 years. The study is designed to show that 12-weekly testing does not significantly increase the risk for major bleeding or blood clots. The results would be important for a large number of patients. An increase of the interval between blood tests from 4 to 12 weeks would reduce the burden for these patients on life-long treatment considerably.

Patients with coronary artery disease are often prescribed drugs called statins because research has shown that, by lowering cholesterol, they reduce the risk of having a heart attack or other complications in the long-term. Experimental studies have suggested that statins may also have rapid anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti arrhythmic actions; however, whether these effects are of any benefit to patients remains to be proven. The purpose of STARR trial (Statin Therapy in Atrial Refractoriness and Reperfusion injury) is to evaluate whether a short course of a commonly used statin (atorvastatin, 80 mg once a day) decreases inflammation and stabilises electrical properties of the upper chamber of the heart in the post operative period of patients undergoing cardiac surgery on the heart-lung machine either for valve replacement and/or coronary artery bypass grafting. It will also examine whether this treatment can protect the heart from sustaining tissue damage when blood supply is restored after a period of ischaemia during the course of the surgery.In addition it will also explore the impact of this intervention on biology of the vessels used for bypass surgery and the fat tissue in the vicinity of the heart & blood vessels.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia and affect 1-2 % of the population in the western world. Atrial fibrillation can be treated with a relatively new procedure, called radiofrequency ablation. The aim of this study is to explore if patients treated with ablation for atrial fibrillation, benefit from an integrated rehabilitation programme, that consist of physical training and psycho-educative consultations with a specialised nurse. The hypothesis is, that integrated rehabilitation can improve mental health, physical capacity and other factors.

This is a prospective and open label study that aims to enroll approximately 1200 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) not previously treated with Pradaxa® and free of gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) for at least 2 weeks prior to enrolment. Approximately 125 sites in North America will be recruited. Patients who report GIS during the 3 month treatment period will be randomized to one of two management strategies, and data documenting the intensity and duration of the GIS will be collected.