Active clinical trials for "Vascular Diseases"

Background: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has been popularized as a simple, effective and cheap treatment achieving 50-70% symptomatic patency rates in patients with peripheral occlusive disease.. However, the fact remains that the indication for performing PTA are still more based on opinions than on scientific data. The purpose of the trial was to randomize patients primarily referred for intermittent claudication into two groups: One group was offered conservative treatment; the other group was offered conservative treatment combined with PTA. Primary outcome: The patient quality of life. Secondary outcome:Pain-free walking distance; pain-score; death; amputation; changes in relevant biomarkers

Diabetes is a very common illness. Approximately 4% of British Columbians have diabetes. However, at least 20% of people admitted to acute care hospitals have diabetes. People with diabetes are at a higher risk for developing complications after surgery including infection and prolonged hospital stay, especially if blood sugars are high. The researchers are testing a Diabetes Action Team to see if their involvement in patient care after surgery improves blood glucose control, duration of stay in hospital, and infection rates.

This study will determine the effects of hormone replacement therapy (estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone) on the walls of arteries in postmenopausal women. Inflammation and stiffness of artery walls are two risk factors for atherosclerosis-deposits of fatty substances (plaques) that can block the vessel, causing a heart attack or stroke. Estrogen raises the levels of certain substances in the blood that cause vessel inflammation and lowers the levels of others. This study will measure the net effects of estrogen on artery wall inflammation and stiffness. Postmenopausal women in good health may participate in this study. Volunteers will be screened for eligibility with a complete medical history, heart examination, and blood tests. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either: 1) hormone therapy (estradiol 2 mg daily alone for women who have had a hysterectomy or estradiol plus micronized progesterone 200 mg daily for women with an intact uterus); or 2) placebo (look-alike pills that contain no active drug). Women in both groups will take pills for 3 months, then no pills for 1 month, and then will crossover to the alternate therapy for 3 months (i.e., those in the original placebo group will take hormones, and those in the hormone group will take placebo). At the end of each 3-month treatment period, participants will undergo the following procedures to assess blood vessel inflammation and stiffness: Blood tests - 60 cc (about 2 ounces) of blood will be drawn to measure levels of hormones, cholesterol, and substances in the blood that indicate inflammation of the vessels. Ultrasonography - an ultrasound probe will be applied gently on the neck to image the right and left carotid arteries (arteries in the neck that lead to the brain). During the procedure, the heart's electrical activity will also be monitored with an electrocardiogram and a blood pressure cuff will be wrapped around the arm to obtain blood pressure measurements every 5 minutes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - Images of the carotid arteries are taken while the volunteer lies on a table in a narrow cylinder containing a magnetic field. A padded sensor called an MRI coil is placed over the neck and earplugs are placed in the ears to muffle the loud noise of the machine during scanning. During the second half of the exam, gadolinium is injected through a catheter (thin, flexible tube) inserted into a vein. Gadolinium is a contrast agent that is used to brighten the scan images. Information from this study will increase knowledge about the effects of estrogen on vessel wall inflammation. As such, it may be used in the future to help guide decisions about chronic hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women.

To evaluate the effectiveness of stress reduction with Transcendental Meditation (TM) on left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular function, blood pressure, psychosocial stress and quality of life, and cardiovascular disease risk factors.

This study will evaluate the effects of vitamin E supplementation in retarding the progression of common carotid artery intima-media thickening in African Americans.

The primary objective of this multicenter cooperative clinical trial was to determine if dietary modification would enable drug controlled hypertensive patients to remain at 'goal blood pressures' after antihypertensive medication was withdrawn. The proposal made use of the HDFP hypertensive population who had five years of treatment for their hypertension. Additionally, the group of investigators proposed to determine if dietary treatment would permit patients not previously adequately controlled under the HDFP program to achieve normalization of blood pressure with a combination of dietary modification and drug treatment. The study also proposed to search for predictors (i.e., levels of hormonal agents such as plasma renin activity) of responsiveness to dietary manipulation among the hypertensive population as well as to identify psychological attributes that might be of importance in managing these patients.

To compare the effects of nonpharmacologic therapy alone with those of one of five active drug regimens combined with non-pharmacologic therapy, for long- term management of patients with mild hypertension.

Compare the safety and effectiveness of pRESET to Solitaire in the treatment of stroke related to large vessel occlusion

The NVS Therapy is being studied to evaluate the safety and efficacy to facilitate retention of acute luminal gain, leading to acute hemodynamic improvement in superficial femoral and popliteal arteries with reference vessel diameters between 4.0 and 7.0 mm and lesion lengths less than or equal to 56mm.

This is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm trial to evaluate the safety and performance of SETALUM™ Sealant in sealing suture lines at the anastomosis between native vessels and synthetic ePTFE vascular patch used during open vascular surgery.