Active clinical trials for "Stroke"

The purpose of this study is to determine whether split belt or conventional treadmill training can be used to treat walking pattern deficits from stroke and to determine whether this improves gait asymmetry and metabolic efficiency.

This trial will enroll patients that have been diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke that has occurred within the past 12 hours. Anyone diagnosed with a minor stroke faces the possibility of long-term disability and even death, regardless of treatment. Stroke symptoms such as weakness, difficulty speaking and paralysis may improve or worsen over the hours or days immediately following a stroke. The purpose of this research trial is to study the effects of a clot-dissolving drug, tenecteplase (TNK-tPA), as a treatment for patients who arrive within twelve hours from stroke onset. This study is attempting to see if TNK-tPA given through a vein in the arm (intravenous) to patients is a safe treatment for stroke patients. Neither the safety nor the effectiveness of this treatment has been proven yet. This trial will be conducted at several site in Canada. Dr Michael Hill and Dr. Shelagh Coutts are the Principal Investigators of this trial, coordinated at the University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre.

The aim of research to study therapeutic possibilities of navigation transcranial magnetic stimulation in stroke rehabilitation, finding optimal protocol.

It has proposed the use of ST without microbubble treatment in randomized association with both intravenous and intra-arterial thrombolysis, but combined treatment (rtPA + U.S.) associated with MB diagnostic not yet been investigated in a randomized study. The aim of this study is to evaluate efficacy of the combined treatment (r-rtPA+US+MB) vs the standard rtPA treatment in a randomized study in consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke. We expect to demonstrate that the combined treatment (rtPA+US+MB) will be statistically superior to standard treatment in terms of recanalization rate.

A simplest manner to augment cerebral blood flow to irrigate the ischemic penumbra in acute ischemic stroke could be to place the patient in a 'lying flat' rather than upright head position. Given uncertainty over the balance of potential modest benefits and risks, and variability regarding the ideal head position policy for patients with acute ischemic stroke around the world, reliable randomized evidence is required to standardize clinical practice. The main objectives of this pilot phase clinical trial are to determine the feasibility, safety and potential efficacy of a large-scale cluster randomized clinical trial to assess whether a simple nursing care policy - 'lying flat head position' - provides beneficial effects as compared to the standard upright head position in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The main efficacy outcome of the pilot phase is demonstration of increased mean cerebral blood flow velocity in the flat down compared to the upright head position, as assessed by transcranial Doppler to the medial cerebral arteries of patients with anterior circulation infarction. Secondary efficacy objectives are to demonstrate that the flat down head position improves neurological status at 7 days and disability at 90 days.

Each year in the US, approximately 795,000 people have a stroke, and the overwhelming majority of those who survive are unable to resume meaningful daily activities because of impaired movement in one arm/hand. This study will investigate the effects of a challenging 4-week physical rehabilitation therapy program that is targeted at specific movement impairments and systematically progressed to assure an ongoing "just right" level of rigor. The investigators anticipate that therapy targeted to address specific movement impairments will improve recovery of arm/hand movement in people who have had a stroke.

To aim of this study is to establish the feasibility of undertaking a phase III trial of transcutaneous posterior tibial nerve electrical stimulation (TPTNS) to alleviate stroke-related urinary incontinence.

Little is known about how exercise can affect heart function in stroke survivors. This study will look at changes in cardiovascular fitness and function after 6 months of exercise. Volunteers will be tested before and after the program and again 2 months later to measure the effects on stroke risk factors, fitness level and flexibility of the arteries. Blood tests will measure cholesterol levels and other signs of inflammation. This study will help us better understand how exercise after stroke can improve heart function and heart health, and ultimately help in lowering future stroke risk.

Patients with severe ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, who require mechanical ventilation, have a particularly bad prognosis. If they require long-term ventilation, their orotracheal tube needs to be, like in any other intensive care patient, replaced by a shorter tracheal tube below the larynx. This so called tracheostomy might be associated with advantages such as less demand of narcotics and pain killers, less lesions in mouth and larynx, better mouth hygiene, safer airway, more patient comfort and earlier mobilisation. The best timepoint for tracheostomy in stroke, however, is not known. This study investigates the potential benefits of early tracheostomy in ventilated critically ill patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

The goal of this study is to develop a novel study design to safely and ethically conduct a long-term randomized controlled trial among patients at high risk for both sleep apnea and cardiovascular events that will examine whether effective positive airway pressure(PAP) therapy reduces cardiovascular risk. Patients with transient ischemic attack(TIA) or stroke have a high prevalence of sleep apnea(60-80%), and they are at high risk of cardiovascular events(myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, recurrent stroke, and cardiovascular death)in the first year post event, despite current prevent strategies. Therefore, the treatment of sleep apnea may represent a novel therapeutic target to reduce cardiovascular outcomes in this high risk population.