Active clinical trials for "Constriction, Pathologic"

Ambulation following surgery has been found to be beneficial for patients; however, nurses and doctors struggle with getting post-operative, hospitalized patients to walk on their own. One promising strategy to address this might be an ambulation orderly, an employee whose single responsibility is to assure that patients walk 3-4 times per day. However, the effect of the ambulation orderly on post-operative physical activity has not yet been described. It is important to quantify what the ambulation orderly does in order to assess if this is an effective method for helping patients walk. As a result, the investigators will perform a pilot randomized controlled trial to test the effects of an ambulation orderly in patients hospitalized with recent cardiac surgery. Half of the patients will be assigned to walk with the ambulation orderly 3-4 times/day and the control group will be given standard nursing encouragement and assistance and encouragement to walk. The investigators will evaluate the average total daily step counts (over the hospital course, usually 4-7 days) and the change in walking distance between a baseline and a final 6 minute walk test. The investigators will also evaluate exercise physiologic parameters (heart rate, oxygen saturation) during ambulation, patient functional independence, and patient satisfaction.

Aortic stenosis is a condition whereby one of the heart valves (aortic valve) becomes narrowed, due to calcium deposition, over time. This can lead to chest pain, heart failure and sudden death. It is the commonest valve disease requiring surgery in the developed world and as the population becomes increasingly older, it is predicted that the prevalence of aortic stenosis will double in the next 20 years. Currently the only treatment is replacement of the aortic valve. Whilst this is excellent treatment, not everyone is suitable for it. The primary objective of our study is to determine whether 2 drugs used in the treatment of osteoporosis (a condition of bone thinning) can halt/retard the progression of aortic stenosis. This is on the basis that studies have suggested that altered regulation of calcium metabolism may be an important mechanism perpetuating the disease. Both drugs work by reducing calcium release into the bloodstream from bones and therefore calcification of the aortic valve. 150 patients will therefore be randomly allocated to either of the trial drugs which are denosumab,the bisphosphonate (alendronic acid), or a placebo. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning is a technique where biochemically active molecules are injected and are taken up at sites of ongoing calcification activity where they emit radiation and can be detected by the PET scanner. We have previously shown that this technique can demonstrate areas of newly developing calcification on an aortic valve. We therefore propose that patients receiving bisphosphonates or denosumab will have reduced evidence of active calcification and slower progression of their disease at two years as assessed by Echocardiography (ultrasound) and a change in their calcium score (quantity of calcium on the aortic valve measured using Computed Tomography [CT] ). The data from this study will then be used to design a larger trial.

A randomized controlled multicenter study comparing the acute hemodynamic performance of the Edwards Sapien XT and the Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter heart valves in high risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis.

Patients suffering from symptomatic carotid artery stenosis, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), amaurosis fugax or stroke receive either Revacept (single dose) plus antiplatelet monotherapy or monotherapy alone. Patients receive a single dose of trial medication by intravenous infusion for 20 minutes. Patients are followed up one and three days after treatment, at 3 months and by a telephone interview at 12 months.

A prospective randomized trial comparing the efficacy of drug eluting balloon angioplasty versus conventional percutaneous transluminal angioplasty balloon for the treatment of hemodialysis arterio-venous fistula or arterio-venous graft stenoses in reducing late luminal loss and restenosis rates, while prolonging primary and secondary patencies.

The Valvuloplasty Scoring Balloon First-in-Man study is a prospective, single arm, two phase, observational registry to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Valvuloplasty Scoring Balloon Catheter for the treatment of critical aortic valve stenosis.

The purpose of this research is to find out if there are inflammatory biomarkers (also known as biological markers) in epidural space that can predict response to an epidural steroid injection. This study will also be evaluating whether the results of an EMG study (also known as electromyography) can predict the response to an epidural steroid injection.

Urethral stricture disease is defined as narrowing of the urethral lumen because of fibrosis, which occurs in urethral mucosa and surrounding tissues. The etiology could be congenital, iatrogenic, infectious, or idiopathic. Several techniques are currently available for minimally invasive treatment of urethral strictures, including cold-knife incision, electrocautery, and various types of laser incisions. An incision with the cold knife does not cause any thermal effect on surrounding tissues but should create a mechanical injury that may lead to recurrence in long term. An incision with the electrocautery should cause a significant thermal effect on healthy surrounding tissues resulting in recurrent strictures during follow-up. Laser treatment modalities have gained popularity in the last two decades. the aim of this trial is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endo-urethrotomy with Holmium laser and cold knife endo-urethrotomy

Intralesional Mitomycin-C (MMC) injection has recently been introduced to resolve refractory benign esophageal stricture mostly in children. The investigators aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of endoscopic postdilation intralesional injection of MMC in adults with refractory benign esophageal stricture.

The objective of this study is to evaluate safety and effectiveness of the Lacrosse NSE ALPHA coronary dilatation catheter during PCI in subjects with stenotic coronary arteries.