View clinical trials related to Cardiovascular Diseases.
Filter by:Patients with various cardiac conditions (such as those who experience a heart attack) are increasing in Canada and are in need of appropriate cardiac rehabilitation and care. Many patients do not have access to local in-person cardiac clinics, particularly in rural regions of Canada. A user-friendly digital application with accessible educational resources and recommendations based on the most up to date clinical practice guidelines can help mitigate these issues. VIRTUES is a digital healthcare application that targets 11 modifiable modules as follows: 1. antithrombotic management 2. lipid management 3. rate and rhythm control for atrial fibrillation 4. heart failure care 5. post myocardial infarction care 6. blood sugar management 7. blood pressure management 8. physical activity 9. healthy eating 10. smoking cessation 11. alcohol reduction Of the 11 total modules, the first 7 listed provide recommendations in VIRTUES. The remaining 4 (physical activity, healthy eating, smoking cessation and alcohol reduction) consist of simple referrals to existing recommendations (i.e., for healthy eating and physical exercise) and referrals to existing local programs (i.e., for smoking cessation and alcohol reduction). Thus, in this cohort study, the investigators will test the primary 7 modules with 200 patients per module for approximately one month each in order to obtain feedback on the usability of each module. The investigators will also conduct virtual focus group discussions to obtain open ended feedback on the application. This study will provide valuable feedback, which will be used to improve and adapt the VIRTUES application.
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a high risk of placenta-mediated complications, which can lead to substantial cardiac morbidities in affected women and their offspring. In addition, maternal autoantibodies, which are actively transferred across the placenta during pregnancy, can affect the cardiovascular health of SLE offspring. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is effective in preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes in SLE and might be beneficial in preventing fetal cardiovascular damage mediated by maternal autoantibodies. However, there are concerns that HCQ might cause maternal and neonatal cardiac toxicity. A novel imaging technique (i.e. speckle tracking echocardiography), which allows early identification of cardiac dysfunction, has proven superior to any other in assessing cardiac function in mothers and neonates experiencing placenta-mediated complications and in identifying drug cardiotoxicity. Yet, there has been no study using speckle tracking echocardiography to evaluate the cardiovascular health of pregnant SLE women and their offspring, as well as the potential adverse cardiac effect of HCQ. Moreover, due to unavailability of assays, HCQ dosing in SLE is generally done blindly, without checking drug levels. To fill these key knowledge gaps, the investigators aim to: 1) assess the impact of placenta-mediated complications on maternal and neonatal cardiac function, 2) evaluate if HCQ exposure (as measured by whole-blood levels) is associated with maternal and neonatal outcomes including cardiac toxicity, and 3) determine the effect of maternal autoantibodies on neonatal cardiac function. Ultimately, our proposal will help optimize reproductive and cardiovascular outcomes in lupus women and their offspring.
Healthy Life Centers (Norwegian, 'Frisklivssentralen') is a municipal service in Norway that aims to promote both physical and mental health, as well as to limit the development of non-communicable diseases. Previous research has shown that receiving follow-up from Healthy Life Centers has led to higher levels of daily physical activity, in addition to improved self-reported health and quality of life among the participants. However, there is a lack of studies that have examined what kind of physiological health effects can be expected from participating in the Healthy Life Center's follow-up. In this study, responses to the 12-week physical activity program of the Healthy Life Center will be compared with the responses in a negative control group that does not receive such follow-up. Both the intervention group and the reference group (the negative control group) will carry out the same tests and measurements before and after the 12 week period. The tests will include measurements of anthropometric variables (body height, body weight and waist circumference), body composition, arterial stiffness, resting blood pressure and blood variables (blood glucose, long-term blood glucose, blood lipid profile and inflammation markers), in addition to physical tests of mobility, balance, maximum aerobic capacity (maximal oxygen consumption) and maximum muscle strength. Questionnaires related to adherence to the Healthy Life Center follow-up, socio-demographic variables, eating and drinking habits, activity level, perceived physical fitness, motivation for exercise, and health-related quality of life will also be included.
Following a heart attack or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure (to 'open up' narrowed blood vessels in the heart), patients are encouraged to join a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programme, which provides health and lifestyle advice to assist recovery and reduce risk of future cardiac events. Whilst NICE recommends that CR should "offer people an individual consultation to discuss diet", access to registered dietitians is limited. Instead, CR patients typically receive general healthy eating guidance. Since approximately 50% of patients decline CR, online tools may improve participation. The University of Reading have developed a web-based application (eNutriCardio) that uses a diet questionnaire to assess the quality ('healthiness') of a user's diet. It provides the user with unique, personalised recommendations of foods to increase/reduce to improve diet quality, which aligns with UK public health dietary advice, and incorporates behaviour change techniques. This pilot study will investigate whether supplementing the usual NHS CR offering with personalised nutrition advice from eNutriCardio (intervention) has a different impact on diet quality and cardiac risk factors (e.g. weight and blood cholesterol) than the CR offering alone (control) after 12 weeks. 82 post-heart attack or PCI patients will provide a dried blood spot sample and record their typical diet using eNutriCardio before being randomly allocated to the control or intervention group. Both groups will be invited to participate in an NHS CR programme, but only intervention participants will receive nutrition advice from eNutriCardio. After 12 weeks, both groups will repeat the diet questionnaire and blood spot sample at home. A follow-up questionnaire will be completed after a further 8 weeks. Participants may also join an optional focus group to discuss their experiences of CR and eNutriCardio. This study is funded by the Health Innovation Partnership, a collaboration between the University of Reading and RBFT.
Physiotherapists are often confronted with patients with (elevated risk for) cardiovascular disease (CVD), even when this is not the primary indication for physiotherapy. Hence, physiotherapists should be able to provide evidence-based exercise advice to these patients, but this has not been assessed. The aim of this study was therefore to assess whether exercise prescriptions by physiotherapists to patients with CVD are in accordance with international recommendations.
Obesity and overweight are noncommunicable diseases with increasing incidence in children, adolescents and adults. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 and over were overweight and over 650 million were obese (WHO). In the EU-27 (Eurostat data), 45.7% of women and 60.2% of men were overweight, while 16.3% and 16.8%, respectively, were obese. The growing incidence of overweight and obesity generate worldwide increasing incidence of related conditions as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic disorders, and cancer, with relevant socio-economical (increase in health costs, increase in disabilities) and environmental consequences (unsustainability of food models, increase in ecological footprint, worsening of climate changes). A transformation of food systems and individual behaviours are necessary to improve the quality of life and the sustainability of lifestyle, which should be oriented at preventing o treating overweight and obesity.
The overall aim of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate the effects of consuming a Plant-Based Meat alternative Diet (PBMD) compared to an Animal-Based Meat Diet (ABMD) on cardiometabolic health and protein homeostasis in Chinese men and women in Singapore. This will be achieved through the following specific objectives: (1) To evaluate the effects of dietary protein source on metabolic health and glycemic control(2) To evaluate the effects of dietary protein source on risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (3) To evaluate the effects of dietary protein source on protein homeostasis and metabolism.
The NEURESCUE device is the first intelligent catheter for aortic balloon occlusion, an emergency technique that supercharges blood flow to the heart and brain within one minute from deployment. The catheter-based device is delivered via the femoral artery, temporarily inflating a soft balloon in the descending aorta to redirect blood flow towards the upper body. The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of the NEURESCUE device as an adjunct to Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) in adults with cardiac arrest.
Sub-optimal transfer of clinical information during inter-hospital transfer (IHT, the transfer of patients between acute care hospitals) is common and can lead to patient harm. To address this problem, the investigators will use key stakeholder input to refine and implement an interoperable health information exchange platform that integrates with the electronic health record and improves the reliability of and access to necessary clinical information in three use cases involving transfer of patients between sending and receiving hospitals with varying levels of affiliation and health record integration. The investigators will assess the effect of this intervention on frequency of medical errors, evaluate the use and usability of this platform from the perspective of those that interact with it, and use these results to develop a dissemination plan to spread implementation and use of this platform across other similar institutions.
Background: People with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are at risk of developing complications in their blood vessels. This can increase the risk of heart attacks or stroke. No medications have been effective at reducing this risk in people with lupus. Objective: To test whether a drug (anifrolumab) can improve blood vessel function and reduce blood vessel inflammation in people with SLE. Eligibility: People aged 18 to 80 years with SLE. Design: Participants will undergo screening. They will have a physical exam. They will have blood and urine tests. They will have a test of their heart function and a chest X-ray. They will answer questions about their SLE symptoms. Participants will visit the clinic 9 times in 8 months. After screening, visits will be 4 weeks apart. Each visit may take up to 4 hours. Participants will receive infusions from a tube attached to a needle inserted into a vein in the arm (IV). Some will receive anifrolumab. Others will receive a placebo treatment. They will not know which one they are getting. At some visits they will have additional tests: CAVI (cardio-ankle vascular index) tests blood vessel function. Participants will lie still for 20 minutes. Small electrodes will be placed on both wrists with stickers. A microphone will be placed on their chest. Blood pressure cuffs will be wrapped around their ankles and arms. FDG-PET/CT is an imaging procedure. Participants will receive a substance through an IV line. They will lie on a table for 110 minutes while a machine captures images of their body.