Active clinical trials for "Varicose Veins"

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare efficacy of two wavelength for EndoVenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) in treatment of varicose veins of the lower limbs. The main questions it aims to answers are : Is the increase of wavelength form 1470 nm to 1940 nm affect the efficacy of varicose veins treatment ? Is the increase of wavelength reduce complication or pain ? Participants are patients with varicose veins of lower limbs and candidate for endovenous laser ablation. After laser ablation patients will be followed during 5 years for clinical evaluation, recording potential treatment complications and quality of life evaluation. Researchers will compare strategy 1(EVLA with an endovenous laser at 1940 nm) vs strategy 2 (EVLA with an endovenous laser at 1470 nm) in varicose veins treatment to see if efficacy of treatment is not reduce, and to see if complications of EVLA treatment can be reduced.

Research has proven that large varices can be treated with beta-blockers (a type of anti-hypertensive medication) to reduce the pressure in the veins. The management of small varices is still uncertain. This study aims to discover if beta blockers can be used in this setting. We hypothesize that beta blockers will reduce the risk of bleeding from small varices from 20% to 10% over a period of 3 years, resulting in significant cost savings to the NHS from better patient outcomes.

To determine if carvedilol reduces the rate of variceal haemorrhage in patients with cirrhosis and small oesophageal varices

The goal of this exploratory validation study is to compare levels of expertise (or non-expertise) between GI fellows and experts with the varix trainer. The main question it aim to answer is: Can the varix trainer distinguish levels of expertise (or non-expertise) between novices and experts for specific skills (torque, small wheel and retroflexion techniques)? Does the training with the varix trainer improves these specific skills of GI fellows? Participants will do the pre-training test, practicing eight-sessions (each session is approximately 15minutes) and then do the post-training test.

Self-care and self-medication are commonly the treatments of choice for the management of minor ailments. Minor ailments can be treated through community pharmacy using a Minor Ailment Service (MAS). The INDICA+PRO Impact Study, evaluated the clinical, economic and humanistic impact of a MAS, concluding that community pharmacies could greatly benefit the health system. Thus, the following objectives were defined for the INDICA+PRO implementation study. The primary objective is to implement a standardised MAS in usual practice in community pharmacy in Spain. The secondary objectives include an evaluation of the clinical and economic outcomes and the role and impact of two different models of change agents. A pragmatic study with an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design type 3 will be undertaken using the Framework for the Implementation of Services in Pharmacy (FISpH). The study will be carried between October 2020 and December 2022. Two type of practice change facilitators FaFa and SEFaFa. Their main function, using the Observe-Plan-Do-Study-Act process, will be to facilitate the implementation through individualised continuous support to providers of the MAS. The depth and breadth of support to pharmacist providers by each type of change agents will vary. Pharmaceutical Associations (PA) and/or Spanish Society of Community Pharmacy (SEFAC) will invite community pharmacies/pharmacists. Participating pharmacists will need to sign a commitment form. The second study population will consist of patients presenting with minor ailments or requesting a non-prescription medication. Recruitment of patients will be carried out by the pharmacist providers. The inclusion criteria will be: patients or caregivers (aged ≥18 years, or younger if they are accompanied by an adult) presenting with 31 minor ailments, grouped into five categories (respiratory, moderate pain, digestive, dermatological and other) with pre-agreed referral protocols. Other symptoms may be included at the discretion of the pharmacists. The exclusion criteria will be patients who do not provide informed consent. The patient/pharmacist intervention will consist of a MAS protocol adapted for each symptom. The consultation will be record in an electronic data capture system (SEFAC eXPERT®-) that provides a step-by-step approach with protocols and clinical information embedded. The FISpH model will be used to guide the implementation of MAS. Two types of change agents, FaFas and SeFaFas, previously trained for 18 hours, will be used to facilitate the implementation. During each of the stages (exploration, preparation, testing and operation, and initial sustainability), strategies will be used by FaFas and SeFaFas to moderate implementation factors. The impact of strategies will be evaluated. Data on pharmacy/pharmacist's provider performance and patient outcomes will be provided to pharmacist, change agents and PA and SEFAC. FaFas and SeFaFas will have a classification system for barriers and facilitators derived from the constructs in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The classification system for implementation strategies consists of an adaptation of the facilitation activities listed by Dogherty et al. These will be documented in an electronic data capture system. FaFas will train their pharmacists (max. of 25 pharmacies) for 6 hours and subsequently provide at least monthly follow-up. The research team will provide ongoing feedback and support to the FaFas and SeFaFas through periodically, hold group meetings by video conference between the research group and all the FaFas and SeFaFas. The research group will provide formal reports on the implementation process and patient outcomes. Other forms of communication such as emails, telephone calls or WhatsApp messaging will also be available. Implementation and patient consultation process and outcome variables will be measured such as reach, fidelity and integration. Outcome service indicators will be clinical, economic and humanistic. A patient follow up will occur at a maximum of 10 days. Continuous variables will be reported using mean and standard deviation, or median and percentiles. Categorical variables will be reported using percentages. T Student's test or the ANOVA test or Kruskal-Wallis. χ2 test, Fisher's exact test or Yate's chi-squared will also be used. To determine the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables, logistic regression models will be performed including the variables with statistical significance in the bivariate model. The level of significance will be set at p <0.05. Machine learning and big data techniques are being considered for predictive modelling. The research team will only have access to de-identified data of pharmacists and patients. This study protocol has been approved by the Granada Research Ethics Committee on the 5th February 2020.

This is a prospective, single centre, randomised controlled, feasibility study recruiting patients with varicose veins. Patients will be randomised to receive standard (verbal discussion and written information pamphlet) consent or a digital health education tool (dHET). The primary endpoints will be feasibility and practicality of introducing dHET into a busy day surgery practice, secondary endpoints will included knowledge recall of essential information, patient anxiety, patient satisfaction and the time spent in person with the responsible surgeon and number of questions asked prior to signing the consent document.

EVLA is used in in treating refluxing veins, commonly the GSV. The tip of catheter is usually placed 2-2.5 cm distal to the sapheno-femoral junction. This technique theoretically provides the lowest risk for endothermal heat-induced thrombosis (EHIT). In the present study we aimed to evaluate the zero-distance technique (the kissing technique) compared to 2-cm distance from SFJ valve in ablating incompetent GSV.

Varicose veins are a common problem, affecting up to a third of the western adult population. Most suffer with aching, discomfort, pruritis, and muscle cramps, whilst complications include oedema, eczema, lipodermatosclerosis, ulceration, phlebitis, and bleeding. This is known to have a significant negative effect on patient's quality of life (QoL). Surgery has been used for many years, but it is known that there is a temporary decline in QoL post-op. This was demonstrated in our pilot study. Surgery leads to painful and prolonged recovery in some patients and has the risks of infection, haematoma and nerve injury. Recurrence rates are known to be significant. Duplex of veins post surgery has demonstrated persistent reflux in 9-29% of cases at 1 year, 13-40% at 2 years, 40% at 5 years and 60% at 34 years. 26% of NHS patients were 'very dissatisfied' with their varicose vein surgery. Newer, less invasive treatments are being developed. It would be advantageous to find a treatment that avoided the morbidity of surgery, one that could be performed as a day-case procedure under a local anaesthetic, a treatment that could offer lower recurrence rates and allow an early return to work. These should be the aims of any new treatment for varicose veins. Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT) is performed under a local anaesthetic and uses laser energy delivered into the vein to obliterate it. The vein therefore need not be tied off surgically and stripped out. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical, cost effectiveness and safety of Surgery and EVLT.

Varicose veins affect a majority of adult patients and cause a decreased quality of life. In recent years, standard practice has been to perform thermoablation and local phlebectomies in the same procedure. There is conflicting data on the long-term outcome of the local varicose veins; there seems to be a need for more re-interventions if the local varicosities are not treated immediately. On the other hand, the prolonged combined procedure increases procedural pain and bleeding, as well as the risk for complications from deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism. This trial aims to evaluate the need for immediate treatment of local varicosities and the potential sufficiency of main trunk treatment.

The primary objective of the study is to demonstrate the superiority of an "early tips" strategy over standard treatment by glue obliteration (G0) in preventing bleeding recurrence or death at one year after a non GOV1 gastric variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients initially treated by GO.