View clinical trials related to Heart Defects, Congenital.
Filter by:Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), or high blood pressure in the lungs, is common in patients with congenital heart disease. Historically these patients suffered significant morbidity and mortality due to a lack of effective therapies. More recently, advanced therapies which target the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of PAH have been introduced into clinical care. Oral, intravenous, subcutaneous, and inhaled therapies are all available for the treatment of PAH. Patients with PAH are first treated with oral agents (including sildenafil and bosentan). However, if these agents fail to achieve the desired effect for the patient, intravenous or inhaled therapies may be initiated. Combination therapy with multiple agents is common in routine clinical care. However, the most efficacious therapeutic regimen has yet to be delineated. The present study seeks to evaluate the efficacy of one specific regimen: iloprost, an inhaled prostacyclin derivative, used in combination with oral therapy (sildenafil and/or bosentan). Iloprost has been approved by the FDA for use in this patient population. Adults with PAH already receiving oral therapy will be invited to participate in this study. Iloprost will be added to their current therapeutic regimen for a period of three months, with pre- and post-treatment assessments. These will include a cardiopulmonary exercise test, BNP (a blood test), six minute walking distance, and a quality of life questionnaire.
The purpose of this study was to investigate if repeated inflation of a blood pressure cuff applied around one leg causing mild ischemia ("remote ischemic preconditioning") could protect children operated for congenital heart disease from developing acute kidney injury.
Cardiac surgery is associated with risk of perioperative inflammation and ischemia leading to cerebral and myocardial morbidity and mortality. Ischemic preconditioning by repetitive ischemic episodes at an organ can reduce damage resulting from consecutive prolonged ischemia in that organ. Remote ischemic preconditioning is defined as ischemic preconditioning by repetitive ischemic episodes of an organ remote from the organ to be protected, e.g. ischemic episodes of a limb can reduce ischemic damage of the heart. Animal studies as well as human studies have shown that ischemic preconditioning can protect the heart from intraoperative ischemia. Remote preconditioning by repetitive limb ischemia has been applied in humans in some studies.12-14 However, the published data is not yet sufficient to support evidence based recommendations for clinical practice. In particular, available data regarding the influence of remote preconditioning on inflammatory and ischemic damage of brain and heart in children following surgery of congenital heart disease are limited. Hence, this prospective, controlled and randomized study was designed to perform remote ischemic preconditioning in children after induction of anesthesia for pediatric heart surgery and to investigate the effect on postoperative organ function in comparison to a control group.
The propose of this study is to generate normative data of the tree-dimensional echocardiographic(3-DE) measurements for cardiac structure and function in a large cohort of normal infants, children,and adolescents. The investigators also sought to investigate the utility of 3-DE in evaluating infants, children and adolescents with congenital and acquired heart diseases.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether Bosentan is an effective and safe treatment to adolescent and adult (15 years and older) patients, born with one ventricle of the heart instead of two (single ventricle physiology) and who have undergone TCPC as a palliative surgical treatment. The aim of the TCPC operation is to use the one functioning ventricle to pump the blood flow to the body, while the blood to the lungs is received directly from the caval veins, and is thus a passive flow, without the aid of a ventricle to actively pump the blood through the pulmonary circulation. The resistance in the pulmonary circulation is therefore critical to these patients. These patients have markedly lower work capacity in bicycle test than the general public. Furthermore they have a high risk of developing complications e.g. loss of protein from the intestines. Bosentan is a medication that lowers the resistance in the pulmonary circulation. It is routinely used for patients with pulmonary hypertension. Some studies have shown that drugs that lower the pulmonary resistance can increase exercise capacity significantly in patients with single ventricle physiology. In this study 80 patients will receive either placebo or Bosentan for 14 weeks. Before and after the treatment, bicycle test along with blood samples, stool samples and quality of life interviews will be performed. Every four weeks during the study blood samples, physical exam and interviews will be performed to ensure the safety of the treatment. The investigators expect to find a significant increase in work capacity after 14 weeks in the treatment group compared with the placebo group. Moreover the investigators hope to find a decrease in intestinal protein loss and an improved quality of life.
This study aims to examine performance on a neurological screening test, the Dubowitz, and sleep wake cycles on amplitude integrated electroencephalogram (AEEG) in neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) as a way to potentially predict longterm motor outcome. It will compare the results of these studies to neonates without CHD.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential role of a cardiology clinic-based educational intervention for 15 to 17 year olds with congenital heart disease (CHD) and their parents, and to determine whether this intervention results in improved self-management skills (e.g., renewing medication prescriptions), teens having greater knowledge of their heart condition, and more teen and parent satisfaction with services. The results of this study will form the basis for a website that in turn may serve as an additional means of providing transition interventions. The results of this study may also be applicable to youth with other special health care needs.
Identification of the pathophysiology associated with Eisenmenger's syndrome has led to the evaluation of targeted therapies. Iloprost, a prostacyclin analogue, is one such targeted therapy used in patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome. The purpose of our study is to assess the effects of inhaled iloprost on patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome.
Use of whole blood impedance aggregometry and rotational thromboelastometry can reveal useful data about platelet function and viscoelastic properties of blood clot in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study is to clarify whether it is possible to predict patients on excessive risk of perioperative bleeding using whole blood impedance aggregometry and rotational thromoelastometry. Antiplatelet therapy is the cornerstone in treatment of patients with coronary artery disease. Another research goal is to determine the degree of response to antiplatelet therapy before and after surgery and to investigate whether patients by level of response to antiplatelet therapy before surgery have a higher risk of perioperative bleeding.
Children with Cancer or congenital heart disease (CHD) experience complex, physical, psychosocial and behavioural symptoms and problems due to the illness, treatment, and medical procedures. To help children cope with their problems and prevent psychological distress, the investigators developed SiSom, a support system to help children with cancer or CHD report their symptoms and problems in an age-adjusted manner on a touch-pad, portable computer. This quasi-experimental study with 202 children age 7-12 with CHD or cancer will test the following hypotheses: When children use SiSom to report their symptoms and problems, and this information is provided to their clinicians in their outpatient consultations: - Children and parents will experience less anxiety. - Children and parents will be more satisfied with the outpatient visit. - There will be greater congruence between children's reported symptoms and problems and those addressed by their clinicians as evidenced in documented patient care. To better understand the mechanisms by which these effects may occur, the investigators will also explore: - Differences between control and experimental groups in patient-provider communication in terms of instrumental and affective behaviour, participation, initiative and person addressed; - The relationships among outcomes of patient-provider communication, congruence between patients' reported symptoms and those addressed by their clinicians and children's and parents' anxiety and satisfaction; and how these relationships differ between treatment and control conditions. Finally, the investigators will investigate time requirements, ease of use and usefulness of SiSom by children and clinicians. For analyses the investigators will use inferential statistics and qualitative analyses of the video-taped consultation sessions. This study will contribute to improving patient-centred care for a particularly vulnerable population, and to a better understanding of the triadic communication and interactions among child-parent and clinician.