View clinical trials related to Heart Failure.
Filter by:Successful treatment of pulmonary edema was first published in 1938 by A. L. Barach. Since then, this has been the accepted method of treating acute respiratory failure due to left heart failure and edema. The question was raised if pressure supported ventilation during sleep is used to eliminate sleep apneas, would it be useful also for improving congestive heart failure (CHF). Recent studies assessed the role of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with advanced CHF and found the treatment useful. A possible explanation for these results is that central sleep apnea frequently coexists with severe CHF and is not treated or suppressed by CPAP. The frequency of central sleep apnea increases with the severity of CHF and can be found in more than 30% of patients. A few recent studies showed the usefulness of bilevel positive airway pressure (BIPAP) or adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV). ASV led to improvement in ejection fraction as well as in 6 min walking distance testing, and was associated with decreased BNP levels. In another study, bilevel PAP increased LVEF by 7.9%. The limitations of these studies are the small number of patients and that they were conducted on inpatients only. These factors make it difficult to include BIPAP in the guidelines for chronic heart failure therapy. Recently, two outpatient modalities have been introduced to diagnose sleep disordering breathing (SDB). However, no study has directly compared the results of both studies in patients with CHF. Moreover, no studies have assessed improvement in CHF after BIPAP treatment. In addition, the investigators plan to assess the endothelial function in this population before and after BIPAP treatment with the EndoPAT, a noninvasive technology
The purpose of this study is to determine whether cholecalciferol supplementation in patients with chronic heart failure and low vitamin D levels improves: 1. performance at six minutes walking test 2. echocardiographic parameters 3. neurohormonal imbalance
Heart failure patients may benefit from having a special pacemaker implanted that can make the heart pump in a more coordinated and efficient way Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT). For the heart to pump well it is necessary for the pacing wires to be placed in optimal positions. Only two thirds of people respond to CRT and this may be because of non-ideal pacing wire position. A potential marker for response is the change in heart pump pressure change over time. The aim of this study is to use a specialised wire in the main pumping chamber of the heart to record the pressure changes with the pacing lead in various positions to determine the optimal position. It is postulated that the improved pressure changes will increase the proportion of responders. Pilot study work has shown that the work is technically feasible and safe. The initial data has been published in a highly regarded scientific journal. This main study will be a multicentre randomised controlled trial whereby patients will be randomised to either standard treatment or pressure wireguided treatment. The patients in the pressurewire guided arm will have a specialised wire implanted into the main pumping chamber of their heart via a blood vessel at the top of the leg (or less commonly a blood vessel in the wrist). This will measure acute pressure changes over time and the pacing lead will be positioned in the site that gives the greatest change in pressure. If the patients in the pressurewire guided arm fare better than those receiving standard treatment it may alter how a large proportion of heart failure patients are treated around the world. The study requires 282 patients and is likely to take two years to complete.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Apelin on the lung circulation. The investigators hypothesise that Apelin will relax the lung blood vessels and improve the pumping ability of the heart.
Heart failure is a common, costly, disabling and potentially lethal condition. Despite well recognised and proven drug therapies, many patients remain breathless on exertion. A special pacemaker (cardiac resynchronisation therapy) may help improve symptoms of breathlessness and survival by restoring coordinated beating of the heart. However, despite careful planning and the knowledge of the most appropriate selection criteria, up to a third of patients do not get the desired beneficial effects after the pacemaker has been implanted. The implantation of the special pacemaker requires three leads (wires) to be inserted within the heart. Currently this is undertaken under X-ray guidance. Some patients may have scarring of the heart muscle due to previous heart attacks or their underlying condition. The X-ray technique cannot see this and therefore the doctor may implant the lead in such an area of scar tissue. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can demonstrate these areas of scar. The study aims to investigate whether CMR can better predict where the wires should be placed. The CMR pictures will be taken before the patient has the special pacemaker implanted.
Today patients with a Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) indication usually receive 2 ventricular leads, right ventricular (RV) apex and left ventricular (LV) (postero-) lateral, gaining a responder rate of approximately 70%. However, the physiological agitation of the left ventricle takes place over two pathways. Therefore single point stimulation might be insufficient for a dilated, insufficiently and asynchronously contracting left ventricle, resulting in either insufficient or no response to the therapy. In the "CRT ICD Dual LV" study the patients receive a second LV lead in an anterior vein. When this lead is placed, temporary dual LV stimulation is started. To assess the effectivity of the dual LV lead stimulation intraoperatively a LV dp/dt-pressure measurement is taken. If there is an increase in LV dp/dt, the patients will be stimulated with both leads permanently. If not they will be stimulated conventionally. The patients participating in this study are monitored for 12 months after implantation.
The purpose of this study is to observe the incident of composite cardiovascular events after renal sympathetic modification using THERMOCOOL® catheter in patients with heart failure, and evaluate safety and efficacy of the intervention.
The investigators hypothesised that endocardial stem cells implantation following after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) could reduce the scar formation and increase reverse remodeling in patients with primary acute myocardial infarction.
In modern cardiac surgery and cardiology Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is an emerging procedure for high-risk patients that are assumed to be otherwise inoperable. The investigators want to evaluate the specific intraoperative anesthesiologic characteristics cardiac anesthesiologists have to face during these procedures.
The objective of this work is to investigate and then to sequence new biomarkers in the plasma of patients presenting with dyspnea secondary or not to heart failure, and study their diagnostic and prognostic value.