View clinical trials related to Cardiomyopathies.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine if an 8hr infusion of nesiritide in the emergency department in the Acutely decompensated heart failure patients will decrease 30 day recidivism.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of immunoadsorption and subsequent IgG substitution in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy compared to a control group.
The following objectives were used for comparison: 1) primary objective: reintubation rate during hospitalization; 2) secondary objectives: length of hospitalization at the Coronary Care Unit; time from intubation to start of weaning; time from start of weaning to extubation; time from SBT and extubation; presence of respiratory infection in patients requiring reintubation; mortality of patients requiring reintubation.
Different studies have shown that fibrosis of the heart increases the risk for a sudden death from e.g. arrhythmias. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) can easily identify even small areas of fibrosis in the heart muscle after contrast agent application (Gadolinium). With the development of faster scanners and new contrast agents, the detection of small fibrotic areas may even be improved. In this study, we will apply dedicated T1- and T2-weighted CMR sequences before and after administration of Gadolinium-based contrast (Gadobutrol, Gadovist(r)), the study parameters will be full cardiac function, areas of edema, areas of inflammation and areas of fibrosis. We hypothesize, that we can detect fibrotic areas in the myocardium using Gadobutrol (Gadovist (r)) better than with the commonly used Gadolinium-DTPA contrast agents. We also hypothesize, that fibrosis of the myocardium is correlated to prognosis of the patients.
The primary objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of ICD therapy compared with control on the endpoint of death from any cause in patients with heart failure of non-ischemic oetiology.
Primary objective: The primary objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of ICD therapy compared with control on the endpoint of death from any cause. Secondary objective: The secondary objectives of the study are to determine if ICD therapy reduces sudden death. Study design: Randomized, unblinded, controlled, parallel two group trial. Primary endpoint: Time to death from any cause. Sample size: In total, 1000 patients with 500 receiving ICD and 500 patients constituting the control group. Summary of Subject Eligibility Criteria: Patients with clinical heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35%, non-ischemic etiology and NT-proBNP above 200 pg/ml. Patients in NYHA class IV will only be randomised if also fulfilling criteria for a biventricular pacemaker. Control group: Patients receiving standard therapy for heart failure including ACE-inhibitor/Angiotensin-Receptor-Blocker and Betablocker unless not tolerated. Aldosterone antagonism is optional. Study Duration: The study comprises a screening period of up to 2 years, followed by a treatment phase of a minimum of 36 months. Randomisation: After fulfilling all eligibility criteria, subjects will be randomized 1:1 to receive ICD implantation or continue usual control. Randomisation will be stratified according to treatment with a biventricular pacemaker. Treatment: After randomisation patients allocated to ICD treatment should receive this as fast as possible and preferably within 2 weeks (latest 4 weeks). The ICD will be programmed with anti-tachycardia pacing and shock therapy. Assessments: Deaths and hospitalisations for heart failure, stroke or arrhythmias will be recorded throughout the study duration. Statistical Considerations: Median lifetime in the control group is expected to be 5 years. A p-value of 5% (2-sided) is required for significance together with a power of at least 80%. With a relative risk reduction of 25% a sample size of 812 patients in total is required. In order to allow for cross-over a sample size of 1000 is planned. Primary Endpoint Analysis: The principal analysis for the primary endpoint (time to death from any cause) will employ the intent-to-treat principle and use a survival analysis. Secondary Endpoint Analysis: All time-to-event secondary endpoints will be analyzed similarly to the primary endpoint.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) affects about 200,000 Canadians. Eighty percent of these cases are of unclear cause, often occuring in families. We believe that mutations in specific already-identified genes contribute to DCM in Quebec and that certain mutations may account for a significant proportion of cases due to the well-documented "founder effect". Two hundred patients with DCM followed in our Heart Function Clinic will be approached for one blood sample at their routine clinic visit to test this hypothesis. The samples will be tested in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Genetics at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
This study will have significant impact on muscular dystrophy patients as it promotes early screening for heart disease. With early identification, beneficial medical therapy can be started sooner, resulting in restoring and maintaining normal heart function. This is critical to the survival of these patients. We have reported previously that heart failure in all patients may have common mechanisms, the "final common pathway". Heart failure is a significant health problem with 5 million people in the US carrying the diagnosis and accounting for 12-15 million office visits and 6.5 million hospital days per year. The number of deaths from heart failure continues to increase. The data from this study could impact patients worldwide with heart failure by offering new insight into an ever-growing disease population and lead to significant changes in how they are currently treated.
Aim of this study is to define the possible detrimental effect of a lack of growth hormone, on the well-being and life expectation of patients affected by heart failure.
This study will be testing two devices which are designed to detect cardiovascular disease in patients as early as possible. As there are now many therapies to prevent and treat this condition it is believed that detecting it early will help reduce the burden of the disease and permit more effective treatment. The two devices the investigators are testing are the ViScope developed by HD Medical and a device developed by CSIRO. Both of these devices are simple, non-invasive and may provide useful information on how well the heart contracts and relaxes as well as valve function of the heart. The investigators are planning to enroll 100 healthy subjects, 100 participants with risk factors for heart failure and 300 patients with varying types of heart failure. The data collected from the experimental devices will be compared to the results from standard tests. Patients will not have any of their therapies altered as part of this study.