View clinical trials related to Heart Failure, Congestive.
Filter by:The renin angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important physiological and pathophysiological role in the control of blood pressure and plasma volume. Inhibition of the RAS is useful in the treatment of hypertension, cardiac failure and in some patients with myocardial infarction. Several recent clinical trials with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) have shown that they also reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction, but the mechanisms underlying this anti-ischemic effect are poorly understood. ACEI reduce angiotensin II synthesis and prevent bradykinin degradation. Results from ongoing studies in the Cardiology Branch (Protocol 95-H-0099) designed to investigate the link between ACEI and the vascular endothelium indicate that ACEI improve both endothelial dysfunction and metabolic coronary vasodilation, an effect that is partially mediated by bradykinin. The current protocol is designed to investigate whether the beneficial effects of ACEI on endothelial function are also partly due to inhibition of angiotensin II. The recent development of selective angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonists allows us to specifically examine the effects of angiotensin II on vasomotor activity.
The renin angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important physiological and pathophysiological role in the control of blood pressure and plasma volume. Inhibition of the RAS is useful in the treatment of hypertension, cardiac failure and in some patients with myocardial infarction. Several recent clinical trials with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) have shown that they also reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction, but the mechanisms underlying this anti-ischemic effect are poorly understood. ACEI reduce angiotensin II synthesis and prevent bradykinin degradation. Results from ongoing studies in the Cardiology Branch (Protocol 95-H-0099) designed to investigate the link between ACEI and the vascular endothelium indicate that ACEI improve peripheral endothelial function, an effect that is partially mediated by bradykinin. The current protocol is designed to investigate whether the beneficial effects of ACEI on peripheral endothelial function are also due to inhibition of angiotensin II. The recent development of selective angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonists allows us to specifically examine the effects of angiotensin II on vasomotor activity.
The human heart is divided into four chambers. One of the four chambers, the left ventricle, is the chamber mainly responsible for pumping blood out of the heart into the circulation. Diseases of the heart like congestive heart failure (CHF), can cause the left ventricle to function improperly. Medications called beta-blockers appear to reverse the abnormalities in the left ventricle and frequently improve the function of the left ventricle in patients with different kinds of heart disease. How beta-blockers improve left ventricle function is unknown. One possible reason for improved function of the left ventricle with beta-blockers is improved blood flow to the heart muscle. When a region of the heart is active, it uses more fuel in the form of oxygen and sugar (glucose). As heart activity increases, blood flow to and from the area of activity increases also. Knowing these facts, researchers can use radioactive sugar (glucose) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans to observe what areas of the heart are receiving more blood flow. In this study researchers plan to measure glucose use in heart muscle and blood flow to the heart muscle in patients with CHF taking beta-blockers.
To compare the efficacy of Pulmonary Artery Catheterization (PAC)-directed treatment strategy to a non-invasive treatment strategy on morbidity and mortality in patients with severe, class IV New York Heart Association (NYHA) congestive heart failure. A secondary objective was to determine costs and resource utilization of PAC-directed treatment strategy compared to non-invasive treatment strategy.
To compare conventional treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF) with two experimental interventions: amiodarone and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
To conduct a randomized, unblinded clinical trial comparing the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) with maximum medical management in patients with end-stage heart failure who were not candidates for heart transplantation.
To determine if addition of a beta-blocker to standard therapy in Class III and Class IV heart failure patients reduced total mortality.
To determine if digitalis had a beneficial, harmful, or no effect on total mortality in patients with clinical heart failure and sinus rhythm.
To assess the impact of a multidisciplinary treatment program on three-month readmission-free survival in elderly congestive heart failure patients.