Active clinical trials for "Syncope"

Syncope, or transient loss of consciousness/fainting, is a common emergency department (ED) complaint responsible for over 1 million ED visits yearly. Potential causes include benign conditions such as dehydration or vaso-vagal syncope. Rarely, syncope is the result of serious cardiac conditions. In older patients without a clear cause of syncope hospital admission is frequently initiated at very low risk thresholds, though there is little evidence that these admissions improve patient outcomes. These decisions are often made without significant patient input or discussion of reasonable alternatives. In this situation, a patient's values, preferences, and particular circumstances should be taken into account. This mutualistic approach to clinical management is referred to as Shared Decision-Making. Shared Decision-Making (SDM) is a joint process of choice selection between providers and patients in clinical scenarios where multiple reasonable management options exist. To improve syncope emergency care, the researchers can leverage recent advances in risk stratification to engage patients in SDM and deliver superior, patient-centered care. This study will provide the groundwork for a larger, randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of the decision aid for management of low-risk syncope.

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is characterized by symptoms of chronic orthostatic intolerance such as fatigue, lightheadedness, dizziness, palpitations and by pronounced tachycardia upon standing. The aims of the present research study are to test whether a daily transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS) performed for 14 consecutive days may improve heart rate response and reduce disabling symptoms while standing.

In the proposed study, the investigators examine in older adults with Type 2 diabetes the impact of beginning insulin therapy on the orthostatic drop in blood pressure as well as the response of arterial blood pressure and Doppler measures of cerebral blood flow during upright tilt. The investigators hypothesize that in older adults with Type 2 diabetes, the cardiovascular effects of insulin would precipitate or worsen orthostatic intolerance not present at baseline.

We and others have shown that many younger patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) have orthostatic intolerance (OI), i.e., they can't tolerate prolonged standing. OI in ME/CFS is often accompanied by either postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in which standing results in an excessive heart rate, and neurally mediated hypotension (NMH) in which standing causes a fall in blood pressure and fainting. Intravenous fluids can alleviate these symptoms, but is difficult to administer; oral fluids fail to provide the same benefit. We would therefore like to test the effectiveness of an oral rehydration solution (ORS, W.H.O. formula) making use of co-transport of glucose and sodium, to reverse these symptoms in ME/CFS subjects with POTS or NMS, and will compare these results with healthy control subjects.

An evaluation of a safety and performance of a new cardiac pacemaker

Background: - The autonomic nervous system helps control things that happen automatically in the body, like blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion. When it doesn t work properly, it s called dysautonomia. Researchers want to learn more about dysautonomias and train doctors to learn how to better diagnose them. Objectives: To allow people with autonomic disorders to be evaluated. To help fellows in the NIH Autonomic Disorders fellowship program see a variety of diseases in their training. Eligibility: People age 18 and older with dysautonomia; children over age 2 if they might benefit Healthy adult volunteers Design: Participants will have different procedures depending on their symptoms. They will have one or more visits. They will have some but not all of the tests below. Participants will have a medical history and physical exam. They may be tested for problems thinking. They may complete a symptom questionnaire. They may have their temperature and blood pressure taken. Participants may have an intravenous line placed. A needle will guide a thin plastic tube into an arm vein. Participants may have blood drawn several times. They may give a urine sample. Participants may have an electrocardiogram. How much blood a participant s heart is pumping and/or how much blood is flowing through their arm may be measured. The total amount of blood in their bloodstream may be measured. Participants may have their ability to sweat and/or sense of smell tested. Breathing, bowel sounds, and/or body functions may be monitored. Pupil size, response to environmental temperature changes, and/or breathing may be measured. Participants may have a bladder ultrasound. Small pieces of skin may be taken for study.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the efficacy of the ROX coupler in treating patients with tilt test proven Neurally mediated syncope.

This is a multi-center, prospective, observational study enrolling 400 patients with suspected or certain neurally-mediated syncope, who undergo carotid sinus massage, tilt testing and Implantable Loop Recorder (ILR)implantation. In its second phase, which starts after the first ILR-documented syncope, the study will register the patient outcome after administration of ILR-guided therapy, which is left to the discretion of the physicians. The main objective is to verify the value of ILR in assessing the mechanism of syncope and the efficacy of the ILR-guided therapy after syncope recurrence.

Palpitations (noticeable pounding, fluttering or irregular heart beat) and pre-syncope (near blackout) are common ED problems sometimes due to an abnormal cardiac rhythm. This is difficult to diagnose as examination and electrocardiogram (ECG) are commonly normal and symptoms have usually resolved by the time the patient arrives in the ED. Diagnosing an abnormal heart rhythm as the cause of symptoms rests on capturing it on an ECG and patients are usually discharged with advice to return to the ED again for a 12-lead ECG should symptoms recur. The investigators will recruit 242 adult participants to either study or control arms. All study arm participants will be given an AliveCor Heart Monitor and trained in the use of the device. Control arm participants will receive standard care only. Both groups will be followed-up at 90 days. The investigators believe a smart phone based event recorder will allow better and earlier diagnosis in patients with a compatible smart phone or tablet, and revolutionise ED care in this area.

This study will compare the reliability and timeliness in data transmission of the Abbott Confirm Rx™ loop recorder with the Medtronic Reveal LINQ™ loop recorder.