View clinical trials related to Stroke.
Filter by:In the rehabilitation of stroke patients, the emphasis is on the treatment of physical pathologies such as increased range of motion and muscle strength, reduction of spasticity and pain. All these treatments provide increased physical capacity of the patient. But these are not enough for perform the activity daily living. In order to be successful in activity daily living of the patient, performance based treatment methods should also be applied. The use of Canadian Occupational Performance Measurement (COPM), which measures patients' defined problem areas in daily practice should contribute to the patient-oriented approach process.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) uses electrical currents to externally activate the nerves and finally activate the muscles responsible for the movements of interest. FES applied via transcutaneous electrodes is a common rehabilitation technique for assisting grasp in patients with central nervous system lesions. In upper extremities, FES can be used as neural-prosthesis, or as a therapeutic tool. In the former, some of the missing functionality is achieved by externally controlled electrical stimulation, wherein the latter FES provides functional exercise which is proven to lead to relearning of motor control, as well as muscle strengthening, thus aiding reestablishment of some of the functionality. Technology that will be used in this study enhances the capacity of FES through the application of multi-pad electrodes and smart protocols for rehabilitation exercises. To improve the stimulation effectiveness of conventional FES, introduced technology relies on spatio-temporal distributed stimulation over the multi-pad electrodes and a battery of predefined, field-tested protocols for rehabilitation.
The study enabled assessment of changes in body mass composition, metabolic syndrome and lipid profile in patients after stroke, following rehabilitation in hospital.
Approximately 20-25% of strokes are of cardioembolic origin, atrial fibrillation (AF) being a significant cause of cardioembolic strokes. AF is often symptomless and intermittent, making its detection a clinical challenge. Currently the golden standard for diagnosis of AF is by 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) or any other ECG-strip. The aim of the study is to assess the potential of chest strap as an ECG monitor, especially in arrhythmia detection by cardiologist and algorithm.
Stroke is a significant medical problem with 150,000 events occurring per year in the UK and incurring healthcare costs of £4 billion per year. Fifty percent of strokes will leave a lasting disability on first manifestation and 10-15% (roughly 16,500 per year) are unheralded ischaemic events in previously asymptomatic Carotid artery disease. Carotid Artery Disease is caused by the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque in the vessel. Stroke or TIA occurs when plaque or adherent thrombus breaks off and embolises to the brain, blocking off its blood supply. Hence, a carotid plaque is said to be symptomatic if it has caused a Stroke or TIA in the territory of the brain supplied by that vessel in the previous six months. Currently, the degree of stenosis (narrowing) of the artery by doppler ultrasound is the main assessment performed. Doppler ultrasound measures stenosis and elevation of blood flow velocity in the artery prior to surgical intervention. However, it has been shown that the degree of stenosis is a poor predictor of stroke as many asymptomatic patients have severe stenosis and many symptomatic patients have moderate stenosis. Stenosis is a two dimensional assessment of a 3-D structure. Other features of the plaque should be considered including the volume of the carotid plaque and its constituents. Carotid Plaque Volume has been measured in 339 individuals, with plaque volume being higher in symptomatic than asymptomatic individuals. In this study, plaque volume did not correlate with stenosis degree. No studies have been conducted measuring the change in carotid plaque volume and morphology following a stroke. This pilot study will perform serial duplex scans on recently symptomatic individuals over a 12 week period and observe the changes in Plaque Volume and morphology. This will attempt to prove that carotid plaque volume is a better predictor of stroke than stenosis. The investigators will also aim to identify other plaque features that may have an important role in predicting stroke risk. Documenting the timescale of change in plaque volume will aid us in defining appropriate timescales for treating the symptomatic population and when those having medical management's risk has returned to baseline. Observing the change in plaque immediately after stroke will improve our knowledge of the changes in plaques that lead to symptoms and may in the future help us predict which patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis need operation.
Partial assisted mechanical ventilation modes are widely used to manage respiratory failure. It has been demonstrated that they can reduce complications related to mechanical ventilation and neuromuscular blocking agents administration. During partially assisted ventilation, there is no predefined respiratory rate and the patient must trigger each breath. One of the most used partial assisted mode is pressure support ventilation (PSV), which plays a key role in weaning from mechanical ventilation, especially in neuro-cranial diseases. Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist mode (NAVA) has been introduced in clinical practice in recent years. It has been widely demonstrated that NAVA is able to guarantee gas exchange in the same way as PSV in patients admitted to ICU for respiratory failure. Thus, NAVA can improve patient-ventilator interaction reducing the incidence of asynchronous events and favoring the patient's own ventilatory pattern. Nevertheless, NAVA does not appear to have been applied in neuro ICU patients. In a study conducted on non-neurosurgical infants has been demonstrated negative effects of asynchronous events on cerebral blood flow velocities, examined with transcranial Doppler technique. In the present pilot study, the investigators would like to compare NAVA and PSV ventilation influence on cranial blood flow, evaluated with Trans-Cranial Color Doppler, in patients admitted to ICU for neurological injuries.
This study will compare the reliability and timeliness in data transmission of the Abbott Confirm Rx™ loop recorder with the Medtronic Reveal LINQ™ loop recorder.
Acute ischemic stroke is caused by blockage of blood vessels in the brain. Blood vessels can be obstructed by several different mechanisms and identification of this cause is essential to minimize the risk of recurrence.
The aim of this feasibility study is to investigate whether target-oriented treatment planning can be maintained in the rehabilitation of stroke patients using the existing classification (LIMOS) and evidence-based specialist treatment pathways. If the goal-oriented treatment planning cannot be adhered to, reasons for failure should be investigated.
A prospective, multicenter, cohort study to explore the stroke mechanisms of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis, the dynamic changes under aggressive medical treatment and their associations with clinical events using conventional MRI sequences plus high-resolution magnetic resonance (HR-MRI).