Active clinical trials for "Vascular Diseases"

Among patients who are receiving long-term anticoagulant therapy, whether with a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) or vitamin K antagonist (VKA), approximately 3-5% who require treatment interruption for a surgery will do so in an urgent/emergency surgery setting. Additionally, there is considerable morbidity and mortality associated with DOAC/VKA management in an urgent/emergency surgery setting. Thus, this prospective registry study aims to identify and compare determinants for perioperative adverse events in DOAC-treated and VKA-treated patients who require an urgent/emergency surgery, and to identify which of these are modifiable. It also aims to describe and compare management of anticoagulant reversal (i.e., non-specific and specific reversal agents) and resource utilization (i.e., blood transfusion) in DOAC- and VKA-treated patients who need an urgent/emergency surgery.

The FEOR registry is undertaken to examine the real-world data of patients that were treated with the E-vita OPEN Plus Stent Graft System under routine care in France. This registry is a requirement of the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS).

This is a prospective, comparative control analysis. The investigators want to evaluate the aqueous humor levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and the effect of photodynamic therapy and combination treatment of photodynamic therapy and Lucentis (Ranibizumab)on the level of vascular endothelial growth factor.

Over 3000 people each year undergo bypass operations to their lower limbs, and these operations carry significant risks with approximately 1 in 20 of these people dying in hospital, and another 1 in 20 having a heart attack. Assessment of these patients in order to stratify their risk of both dying and having significant complications aid in improving their care, enable better utilisation of scarce critical care resources, and allow us to give patients better information on which to base consent. Aims The aims of the project are to assess the feasibility of exercise testing this group of patients both with cycle and arm exercise, and to identify markers of outcome in this group. Methodology This is a prospective observational study designed to test the hypothesis that a combination of cardiopulmonary exercise testing and blood tests provides prognostic value on outcome measures after surgery for lower limb revascularisation Subjects will have 2 exercise tests, one arm and one cycle, prior to surgery at their preoperative assessment appointment. From these tests we will measure how much work patients can do, how much oxygen they are able to use, and when the heart is unable to deliver enough oxygen to the cells. In addition they will have blood samples taken prior to the operation (brain natriuretic peptide), and on days 1 and 3 (troponin I) after the operation to look at cardiac markers of damage. This data will be used to see if we can predict those patients that have both short and long term complications, and also to see whether the different forms of exercise testing are comparable, or if one type is superior. Expected outcomes We expect that through a combination of exercise testing and blood test we will be able to identify patients at increased risk of complications after surgery. We also expect to find that arm exercise will be a more feasible and informative test that cycle exercise.

The data collected in this study will be used to support International Regulatory submissions. The study objective is to evaluate the continued safety and efficacy of the AXIUM Progressive Coil System. This Device has been used clinically at approximately 150 Institutions under FDA 510(k) clearance since April 24, 2007. The device received CE authorization on June 30, 2007. Through December 2007, more than 1000 patients have been treated with the AXIUM Coils.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is the major cause of long-term graft failure in heart transplant recipients. Although several immune-mediated and metabolic risk factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of CAV, no effective therapy is currently available to treat established CAV and prevent its adverse outcomes. Therefore, the main clinical strategy is based on prevention and treatment of factors known to trigger its development. Although the mechanism is vague, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is believed to play a key role in CAV progression. Two strategies involving administration of specific anti-CMV agents are recommended for prevention of CMV infection/disease: universal prophylaxis and preemptive therapy. The pros and cons of the two strategies are still debated, in the absence of randomized studies addressing graft-related outcomes and viral mechanisms of graft damage, and without any clear evidence of superiority of either approach. The investigators conceived this randomized prospective project to compare the effect of preemptive anti-CMV strategy with universal anti-CMV prophylaxis on CMV infection and on one-year increase in coronary intimal thickening. Patients will be additionally randomized to receive either mycophenolate mofetil or everolimus, in light of the possible anti-CMV properties of everolimus.

African Americans have a higher prevalence of vascular disease than Caucasians. Vascular disease can lead to heart attacks, strokes and even amputations. Insulin, a hormone which is secreted by the pancreas, affects not only glucose and fat metabolism but also vascular disease. Impairment of insulin s ability to remove glucose from the circulation is known as insulin resistance. To overcome insulin resistance the pancreas secretes extra insulin. These high levels of insulin affect circulating triglyceride levels by both promoting production of triglyceride by the liver and interfering with clearance of triglyceride from the circulation. Triglyceride in turn contributes to the development of vascular disease by causing both inflammation and hypercoagulability. Surprisingly African Americans are more insulin resistant and have a higher rate of vascular disease than Caucasians but have lower triglyceride levels. Because of the high rate of vascular diseases in African Americans, our aim is to determine if the adverse effects of triglyceride occur at a lower level in African Americans than Caucasians. To achieve this goal we will determine if there are differences in the effect of a meal on triglyceride levels and vascular function in a representative cohort of African American and Caucasian women. For this study we will enroll 96 women (48 African American and 48 Caucasian women). We are recruiting women because ethnic differences in triglyceride are even greater in women than men. We are enrolling women between the ages of 18 and 65 years. The study will involve several outpatient visits to the NIH Clinical Center. The first visit will be a screening to determine eligibility. At the second visit a test to measure insulin resistance will be performed. This test is called a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. The third visit will be for the test meal. Before and at 2, 4 and 6 hours after the meal, blood will be drawn and vascular function measured. Vascular function is determined by taking blood pressure and then measuring blood flow in the arm with ultrasound. It is possible that individual differences in diet could affect the results of the vascular study on the day of the test meal. Therefore for 7 days prior to the test meal, the NIH Clinical Center will provide to each participant all their meals in the form of either trays or meals in a box. These meals will be consistent with the typical American diet and be 33% fat, 15% protein and 52% carbohydrate. In designing these meals, the dietician will take into account individual food preferences. This study is being performed in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Indiana University. Therefore some blood drawn during Visits 2 and 3 will be sent coded, without personal identifiers, to each institution for analyses. ...

This study will determine if the drug Atorvastatin (Lipitor) changes the genetic material found in blood cells of people with vascular (blood vessel) disease. Vascular diseases affect the blood flow in the body and can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Information gained from this study could be used to develop a more reliable blood test that predicts the risk of heart attack or stroke. People 21 and older who have two or more risk factors for developing vascular disease are eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, ultrasound of the carotid (neck) arteries, blood tests, and check of blood pressure and heart rate. Participants are randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Three groups receive Lipitor in a dose of either 10, 20 or 40 milligrams; the fourth group receives a placebo. All take the study drug for 3 months. In addition, they undergo the following tests and procedures: Study Phase I (Months 2-4) Participants in all groups are seen once a month at the NIH Clinical Center for blood tests and monitoring of drug side effects. Study Phase 2 (Months 5-10) Placebo group: Participants are given 40 mg of Lipitor for 3 months (months 5-7) and seen by a physician once a month during that time. Blood is drawn at the 7-month visit and then participants are referred back to their physicians. During months 8, 9 and 10, participants are called once a month to check on their health. Participation ends after the tenth month. Lipitor group: Participants are referred back to their physicians for months 5 and 6 and are called once a month. During month 7, they return to the clinic for a follow-up evaluation and blood test. Participation ends after the seventh month.

To investigate associations between hemostatic and inflammatory blood factors and progression of lower extremity arterial ischemia and cardiovascular events in men and women with and without lower extremity peripheral arterial disease.

To evaluate common genetic variations, that in combination with exposure to tobacco smoke, may modify the risk of atherosclerosis.