View clinical trials related to Heart Diseases.
Filter by:Background: - An acquired heart disease is one that a person gets after they are born. Two of these are rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF). They are found more commonly in people who live in Africa than in other places in the world. Researchers want to learn more about these diseases. They especially want to know what role genes and other factors play in them. Objective: - To identify genetic risk factors for RHD and EMF in sub-Saharan Africa. Eligibility: - Children and adults with RHD or EMF. - Healthy volunteers over age 10. Design: - Participants will come from existing study groups in Uganda and Nigeria. - Participants may be required to provide a sample of their DNA. They will do this with either a blood or saliva sample or a swab of the mouth. - Collected samples will be labeled with a code and sent to a lab in the United States for analysis. Remaining portions of participants samples will be stored for an unlimited period of time. They may be used in future studies. - Some genetic and health information from participants might be placed into one or more scientific databases. - Participant names and identifying information will be kept private. But there is a small chance someone could trace them from their genetic information.
The Liquid Biopsy System (LBS) is a new catheter (thin tube) designed for sampling blood directly from coronary arteries. These arteries supply blood to muscles of the heart and can become blocked by 'plaques' leading to chest pain (angina) and heart attacks. Recent research has shown that development of ' plaques' inside coronary arteries is controlled by chemicals (biomarkers) released into the blood from damaged areas of the artery wall. The LBS is designed to collect blood samples at the exact site of plaque formation. By testing these blood samples for biomarkers of plaque formation, it is hoped that new diagnostic tests and treatments for heart disease may be developed. The proposed investigation is use the LBS in humans to detect these biomarkers. The safety of the LBS has already been demonstrated in both human and animal studies. The study will enroll 70 patients with coronary artery disease who are undergoing routine percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PCI is a procedure used to open up a blocked coronary artery. It uses a catheter on the end of which is a special balloon that is inflated inside the blocked artery to open up the vessel and restore blood flow. A small metal spring (stent) is usually inserted to keep the blood vessel open. This study will test if the LBS device, when used just prior to a PCI procedure, can detect biomarkers released by diseased coronary arteries. The study will also determine if the presence of these biomarkers is linked to the long term health of the patient. The study will take place at Papworth Hospital, over a period of approximately 8 months (including telephone based patient followup calls 30 days, 6 months, 1, 2 and 3 years after the procedure to determine patient health).
The investigators hypothesize that intermittent bolus doses of morphine and midazolam can provide the same pain control after pediatric cardiothoracic surgery as bolus doses plus infusions while using smaller total doses of both medications. The investigators will randomize patients to receive either morphine/midazolam as needed intermittently or morphine/midazolam drips plus intermittent doses to be received as needed. Pain scores will be recorded and total medications given will be recorded.
30 obese moderate-to-severe heart failure patients will be randomized to intervention or control in groups of 5-10 subjects. All will receive dietetic advice according to randomization and according to the European Heart Association. Intervention subjects will initiate with 8 weeks low energy diet, 800-1000 kcal/d by formula diet and subsequent four weeks reintroduction to regular foods supplying 1200 kcal/d substituting two daily meals with formula meal replacement. Control subjects are advised to follow the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Patients will be monitored by blood sampling and assessed by change in physical performance.
Low medication adherence in patients with coronary heart disease increases mortality. This study investigates if an intervention of medication review and counselling can improve patients' medication adherence and treatment results.
High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is in the centrum of the process of reverse cholesterol transport from peripheral cells to the liver[10]. HDL-C promotes endothelial generation of nitric oxide (NO) and improves endothelial function and arterial vasoreactivity[11]. In several studies, lower HDL-C level was reported to be associated with increased coronary artery disease (CAD) risk[12-14]. HDL-C also has anti- inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities[15,16]. Concerning anti-inflammatory activity, HDL-C inhibits the activation of monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils[17,18] and inhibits the expression of endothelial adhesion molecules, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin[15]. In this study we aimed to investigate the relation of HDL-C level with systemic inflammatory markers in patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX).
The purpose of this study is to assess safety and efficacy of Ticagrelor versus Clopidogrel in Asian/KOREAn patients with acute coronary syndromes intended for invasive management.
Palliative care for end-stage organ failure patients has been included as one of the key programs to be implemented in 2011-2012 in the Hospital Authority, Hong Kong. Among all the disease groups, end-stage heart failure patients have the highest mortality rate. Patients at the end stage of heart failure have health concerns shared by other end-stage patients including cancer patients. Many guidelines, local and world-wide, have advocated a palliative approach of care for those heart failure patients who are at end stage. Studies have shown that end-stage heart failure patients tend to have frequent emergency room visits and repeated hospital admissions. Also, these patients suffer from a number of health problems that adversely affect their Quality Of Life. There is scarcity of experimental studies informing practitioners which models work best for palliative patients in Hong Kong. There were randomized controlled trials conducted outside Hong Kong which suggest multidisciplinary approach of palliative care is possible to reduce readmissions but evidence is not present for other outcomes such as symptom control and carer burden. In an attempt to fill knowledge gap and inform practice using evidence, this study is launched to compare the effects of a customary hospital-based palliative heart failure care and an interventional Home-based Palliative heart failure Program. Hypothesis - there is no difference in health care utilization for end-stage heart failure patients between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group - there is no difference in evaluated health outcomes (functional status, symptom intensity, and satisfaction with care) between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group - there is no difference in perceived health outcomes (quality of life, caregiver burden) between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group - there is no difference in cost effectiveness between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group - there is no difference In patients' lived experiences between the customary hospital-based group and the Home based palliative heart failure program group
This randomized pilot clinical trial studies how well positron emission tomography (PET)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) works compared to standard-of-care PET-computed tomography (CT) in diagnosing patients with cancer, cardiac diseases, or neurologic diseases. PET-MRI combines two imaging methods that can be used to evaluate disease. PET-MRI is similar to standard-of-care PET-CT, but exposes the patient to less radiation. It is not yet known whether PET-MRI produces better image quality than PET-CT in diagnosing patients with cancer, cardiac disease, or neurologic disease.
High tidal volume during mechanical ventilation has been reported to increase mortality in patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome. High tidal volume was also reported to be associated with increased mortality in adult patients without acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, the influence of high tidal volume on clinical outcome in pediatric patients who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease has not been evaluated yet. The investigators attempted to evaluate the effect of tidal volume on clinical outcome in both cyanotic and non-cyanotic congenital heart disease.