View clinical trials related to Syncope.
Filter by:Background: Syncope is defined as a sudden, brief loss of consciousness (LOC) followed by a rapid complete recovery. It accounts for 160,000 emergency department (ED) visits each year in Canada. Despite this, few people are hospitalized (~15%) and even fewer will die (~1%). Two-thirds of patients with syncope arrive at the ED by calling 911. There are many causes of syncope. Identifying patients at low risk for bad outcomes would allow paramedics to safely determine which patients need care in the ED from those who can remain home. The research team recently developed the Canadian Prehospital Syncope Risk Score (CPSRS) which accurately identified patients at low risk for 30-day serious outcomes. Objective: The goal of this study is to validate the accuracy of the CPSRS in the prehospital setting or refine if needed to predict the risk of 30-day serious outcomes for patients with syncope. Methods: The research team will enroll patients with syncope from five paramedic services across Canada (British Columbia - Vancouver and Kelowna areas only, London-Middlesex, York Region, Frontenac, and Ottawa). The research team will exclude patients <18 years old, LOC >5 minutes, changes in mental status from baseline, alcohol or drug intoxication, or language barrier. Paramedics will fill out a study data collection form with the CPSRS items and additional data should the tool need refinement. The data will be entered into a secure database and will assess patient outcomes (death and potentially life-threatening medical conditions) at 30 days. The research team will examine model accuracy using standard prediction measures and look to improve model accuracy if needed. The research team expects to enroll 4875 patients over a 1-year recruitment period based on annual call volumes. Expected Outcomes: Once validated, the tool could reduce the number of patients transported to the hospital by identifying those at low risk. This would improve patient-oriented care, while at the same time saving valuable paramedic and ED resources.
The investigators will assess the efficacy of clinically recommended counterpressure maneuvers (CPM) in preventing syncope for paediatric patients. Participants presenting to the emergency department (ED) will first provide written informed consent. In stage I, they will be asked to complete a brief survey documenting the presentation of their syncopal episode, and any prodromal symptoms they experienced. Participants that consent to the second stage of the study will either receive usual care (control arm) or training in counter pressure maneuvers alongside usual care (intervention arm; leg crossing, bending, arm tensing). These patients will be followed for one years time, and will be asked to complete monthly surveys detailing their syncopal and presyncopal recurrence. Medical records will be accessed over the duration of the study to identify any changes in medical diagnosis.
Among Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) health plan members, age ≥16 years, with recent syncope and presyncope undergoing emergency department (ED) management with a point-of-care clinical decision support (CDS) tool, how well does the Canadian Syncope Risk Score predict 30-day serious outcomes that were not evident during index ED evaluation?
The VINCI-AD study will investigate the impact of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on memory in participants with existing mild memory impairment. VNS is a safe, existing treatment, licensed in epilepsy and depression. Until recently, stimulating the vagus nerve involved an operation (invasive VNS) but we can now perform VNS by stimulating a nerve in the outer ear with a very gentle current using a small earpiece, called transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (t-VNS). Previous studies have indicated that invasive VNS may improve memory in people with no cognitive issues or with dementia. No study has examined the use of t-VNS in people with diagnosed mild memory issues. The main aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of using t-VNS in participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Other objectives include: 1) Determining the optimal stimulation settings to improve memory; 2) Assessment of safety and tolerability of VNS in participants with memory impairment ; 3) Exploration of impact of non-invasive VNS on brain oxygenation via near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS): 4) Assessment of impact of VNS on blood markers of inflammation: 5) Assessment of impact of VNS on heart rate variability (HRV) and orthostatic stress in participants with memory impairment. The study will enroll participants via the memory assessment service who have been diagnosed with MCI. The study will enroll 40 participants. All eligible participants will undergo three assessments; one as a baseline assessment of neurocardiovascular health, baseline cognitive tests and baseline blood tests. They will then return for two further visits, one while undergoing active stimulation (active t-VNS) and one while undergoing sham stimulation (sham t-VNS).
Background: Reflex syncope is a disease of benign etiology but in severe cases it can be disabling and it carries a risk of severe trauma. Today, there is no proven etiological treatment and only palliative treatments are used, namely a change in hygienic and dietary habits, certain drugs or, in the most severe cases, the implantation of a pacemaker. Cardioneuroablation is a novel technique that acts by ablating the parasympathetic ganglia located on the external walls of the atria. Several prospective series with promising results have been published, but there are no randomized studies that have validated its efficacy compared to conventional treatment. Methods: The CARDIOSYRE study is a multicenter, randomized, single-blinded study of patients with reflex syncope. The aim is to recruit, between June 2022 and June 2025, 92 patients with reflex cardioinhibitory syncope in 15 centers and randomize them (1:1 ratio) to two treatment groups: 1) cardioneuroablation intervention; 2) conventional treatment (control group). The primary end-point will be the time to the first syncope and the secondary end-point will be the total incidence of syncope after one year of follow-up. At least 20 recurrences of syncope are expected during a 1-year follow-up. A relative risk of 0.3 and a statistical power of 80% are assumed. The follow-up will be carried out at 3, 6 and 12 months. Cox models will be used to estimate adjusted Hazard ratios.
This study aimed to analyze and investigate whether the use of the PMcardio clinical assistant leads to a more efficient patient management in primary care and more accessible specialised care compared to usual standards of care and to assess the reliability and safety of the PMcardio smartphone application in the primary care use environment. Additionally, to evaluate time savings and cost saving implications of increased availability of specialised care at the primary care level.
The purpose of the study is to determine physical and mental health issues of U.S. embryologists related to their occupational characteristics, and how workplace fatigue and burnout may affect their quality of life, cynicism, interactions with patients, attention to detail, and lead to human error, the cause of the most severe IVF incidents that often make headlines and result in costly litigation. It will also correlate how the current manual workflows contribute to these health issues, and what measures can be taken to improve both working conditions and embryologists' health, and, therefore, improve patient care.
Introduction. Reflex vaso-vagal syncope (VVS) is the most frequent cause of transient loss of consciousness and it's treatment remains a challenge. Cardioneuroablation (CNA) is a relatively new and promising method, however, the optimal technique for performing CNA has not been established. Aim. To compare effectiveness of CNA performed in the right atrium (RA) versus left atrium (LA) in achieving total vagal denervation and in preventing syncope recurrences. Methods. Study group. Consecutive patients with recurrent cardioinhibitory or mixed VVS, undergoing CNA between January 2022 and February 2024 will be randomized to the RA or LA groups. CNA is performed under general anesthesia with muscle relaxation using a 3.5 mm irrigated tip contact force catheter and ablation index.The whole procedure is performed under intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) guidance. Efficacy of vagal denervation is assessed using extracardiac vagal stimulation (ECVS). Before starting RF delivery baseline electrophysiological parameters are measured. Next, baseline ECVS from the left and right jugular veins is performed. In the LA group, after gaining transseptal access under ICE guidance, an electroanatomical map of the LA is created and anatomically-based ablation of GP from the LA is performed. Firstly, septal GP are ablated and if total vagal denervation is not achieved, GP located close to left pulmonary veins are ablated. If ECVS still shows vagal response, additional RF applications are delivered in the RA. Then, final ECVS is performed and procedure is finished. In the RA group, GP located in this chamber are ablated and if ECVS shows persistent vagal response, transseptal puncture is performed and ablation in the LA is performed. Afterwards, final ECVS is performed. Duration of follow-up is two years. Patients will attend check-up visits at 3, 12 and 24 months with standard ECG, 24hr ambulatory ECG and QoL assessment. Primary endpoint is complete vagal denervation measured by ECVS (no sinus arrest and no AVB after CNA) using LA approach only versus RA approach only Secondary endpoints include final ECVS results and follow-up data - syncope/presyncope recurrences and QoL.
Project rationale: Vasovagal syncope (VVS) affects up to 50% of people, and recurrent syncope markedly reduces quality of life. We recently reported that it is frequently associated with injury and not surprisingly with clinical anxiety. Although conservative measures help many patients there remain many who require more care. CIHR-funded studies have shown that fludrocortisone and midodrine are effective but cannot be used in patients with contraindications such as hypertension and heart failure. Pacemakers are partially effective in older patients, but this is established only in the small minority with proven asystole. There remains a need for a simple, once-daily medication with few contraindications that can be used as first-line therapy for most patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope. Preliminary Studies: Norepinephrine transport (NET) inhibitors show promise as a novel treatment. Three (reboxetine, sibutramine, and atomoxetine) all prevent vasovagal syncope in healthy subjects and vasovagal syncope patients on tilt tests. Atomoxetine, approved to treat attention deficit disorder, is a highly selective NET inhibitor. We reported a proof-of-principle, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of atomoxetine to prevent vasovagal syncope on tilt table tests. Patients underwent tilt testing after receiving either atomoxetine 40 mg or placebo. Fewer VVS patients fainted with atomoxetine than placebo (10/29 vs. 19/27; odds ratio 0.22, p < 0.01). Our meta-analysis of the effects of NET inhibition on the vasovagal reflex induced by tilt tests was highly positive. A pre-post study showed that sibutramine reduced syncope frequency in highly symptomatic and drug-refractory patients. A similar pre-post study showed that atomoxetine also reduces syncope frequency about 85% in patients with frequent and drug-intolerant or drug-resistant vasovagal syncope. Therefore,NET inhibition by atomoxetine merits assessment based on positive proof-of-principle studies, an apparent class effect, and two open-label pre-post studies. These results provide the rationale for a formal randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of atomoxetine in moderate-to-high risk patients with VVS. Hypothesis: We will test the hypothesis that oral atomoxetine prevents syncope in patients with recurrent VVS. The Study: Patients will be included based on a positive Calgary Syncope Symptom Score and a history of at least 2 faints in the previous year. Eligible patients will be randomized to atomoxetine 40 mg po twice daily or matching placebo in a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel design, double-blind, crossover trial. Each arm will last 6 months with a 1-week washout period. The primary outcome measure will be the proportion of patients with at least 1 syncope recurrence. The study will be powered to detect a beneficial odds ratio of 0.5, selected on the basis of the control outcome rates in 2 similarly designed, previous studies and international expert requirements for effect size. A sample size of 180 subjects will provide 85% power of detecting a difference between the arms at p<0.05. We will assess the effects of atomoxetine on quality of life, anxiety, injury, and the cost-effectiveness of atomoxetine treatment, and the effects of genetic factors on outcomes. Substudies : The quality of life scales will be the SF-36 and the Euroqol EQ5D, which will also be used as the health utility index for the economic studies. The depression and anxiety scales will be the Hospital and Anxiety Depression Score (HADS) and the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 Score (GAD-7). Clinical anxiety is highly prevalent in patients with recurrent syncope. Injury will be self-reported using our published definitions. The health economic substudy will be from the health system perspective and will use Alberta administrative data. DNA will be collected from spit acquired in the Oragene saliva self-collection kits, and an initial candidate gene study might include alleles of CYP2D6, COMT, the serotonin (SLC6A4) and norepinephrine (SLC6A2) reuptake transporters, and the 5HT1A and 5HT3 receptors. Summary: Adults who faint recurrently are highly symptomatic. There are no therapies suitable for most patients have withstood the test of randomized clinical trials. If successful, atomoxetine will reduce syncope and improve quality of life.
Syncope, a sudden, transient loss of consciousness (TLOC), is a common inconvenience of daily function and quality of life (QoL). The vasovagal syncope (VVS) is the most common type of syncope, which central and peripheral stimuli may trigger syncope by decreasing peripheral vascular resistance, bradycardia, or both. The venous return to the heart is one of these triggers which its reduction may occur due to prolonged standing, hot environment, hypovolemia, or redistribution of blood volume. The compression stockings may reduce syncopal episodes by increasing venous return. Although the use of compression stockings was never assessed in clinical trials, it could be a possible treatment for decreasing VVS recurrences.