All Clinical Trials in Canada

Lack of patient knowledge about ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) is a leading cause of treatment fear with 60% of ECT patients reporting high levels of anxiety. The purpose of this study is to determine if using Virtual Reality (VR) to allow patients' to experience a virtual ECT education session before treatment is useful in lowering treatment anxiety and increasing knowledge about ECT if compared to standard treatment. In addition, measuring heart rate and blood pressure levels before ECT treatment will allow us to assess changes in anxiety levels. Individuals who choose to participate will be placed (participant will have a 50% chance to be placed in either group) to view either a virtual reality video to experience a virtual ECT session, or to receive standard preparation, i.e. a discussion with a psychiatrist. Before and after this session participants will be asked to complete a measurement of their anxiety level and knowledge about ECT (ECT Attitude \& Knowledge Questionnaire). Just before ECT treatment, blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety level will be measured. Participants will also complete cognitive and depression assessments. This study will help to develop a relationship between healthcare providers and patients and their families to help with education before ECT treatment. Read Less

This Randomized Control Trial will directly compare helmet non-invasive ventilation (NIV) combined with high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) versus HFNO alone in patients with Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (AHRF). Read Less

Research suggests that strength-based parenting programs can enhance family well-being, but the current formats of these programs (e.g., in-person workshops) are not accessible to many families. The first aim of the study is to develop a strength-based parenting program that is delivered in an accessible and engaging format. A community sample of parents will interact with the online program and complete a brief interview to provide suggestions to increase accessibility and engagement. The second aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of a strength-based parenting program delivered in an online, interactive format. Toward this end, parents of children in kindergarten to Grade 3 will be invited to complete a brief, online survey of well-being before and a few weeks after completing the online program to assess its impact on well-being. Read Less

The investigators will seek to determine the effects of different heart rates on both stroke volume and cardiac output using non-invasive hemodynamic assessments. In order to safely manipulate the HR, the investigators will study patients with permanent pacemakers in whom heart rate manipulation can be done in a safe and non-invasive manner. Read Less

This study is a postmarketing requirement jointly carried out by four NDA holders (Bayer AG, Bracco, GE Healthcare and Guerbet) and the CRO IQVIA. The study aims to create detailed images of the organs and tissue of the human body during x-ray, CT-scan or MRI investigations, doctors are using contrast media (a kind of dye) which can be given to patients by injection into a blood vessel or by mouth. In this study researchers want to find out whether so called gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have an effect on body movement and mental skills when given to participants multiple times within 5 years. The study plans to enroll about 2076 participants suffering from a condition for which they are likely to have at least annually a MRI or another imaging examinations. Only adults up to 65 years will be considered to join this study. During the study duration of 5 years participants will receive annually a MRI or other imaging tests (such as CT-scan, x-ray) and will visit the study doctor at least 7 times for physical examinations, laboratory investigations and tests on body movement and mental skills. Read Less

The investigators will seek to determine the safety and efficacy of high-dose amiodarone (2000mg), given as a single uniform oral dose, for the treatment of acute atrial fibrillation in both a hospital inpatient and ambulatory outpatient setting. The investigators will conduct a placebo-controlled randomized trial, with outcome ascertainment at 48h. Read Less

The goal of this cross-sectional, observational, medical device trial is to examine the association of several sleep parameters, including specific respiratory events and an apnea-hypopnea index, with cognitive performance in older adults. The main question the study aims to answer is: Is there an association between sleep parameters with cognitive performance? Researchers will collect sleep parameters from participants using a device called the ANNE Vital Sign System and will test whether they are associated with performance on different memory and thinking tasks. Participants will: Complete a battery of cognitive tests to assess their memory and thinking performance. Wear the ANNE Vital Sign System continuously for a period of 24 hours. Read Less

Robot assisted gait training is seen as a promising intervention for improving the walking abilities of children with cerebral palsy, but research to support its effectiveness compared to best practice physical therapy is lacking. This research consists of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and a qualitative descriptive study that is linked with the RCT. The goal of the RCT is to compare: 1) a walking training program with the Lokomat® robotic device (LOK), 2) a functional physical therapy program (fPT) that includes activities to enhance balance/co-ordination/endurance and advanced motor skills conducted over 'real ground', 3) a combined Lokomat® + functional physical therapy (LOK+fPT) program, and 4) a regular maintenance therapy condition (CONT) for ambulatory children and youth with CP (aged 5- 18 years). The three intervention programs will consist of sixteen 50-minute sessions given twice weekly over 8 to 10 weeks. The primary objective of the RCT is to compare the four groups with respect to walking-related motor skills as measured by the Gross Motor Function Measure. The secondary objectives are to compare each intervention's impact on walking abilities, individualized goals, fitness, balance, physical activity levels, child's belief in ability to do physical activity, participation and quality of life. The investigators will also evaluate the extent of carryover or progress 3 months after the intervention. The qualitative part of the study will consist of interviews of children and parents after they have finished the study intervention. The information from the interviews will assist us with interpretation of the outcome results (areas of impact and amount of change) from the RCT. In particular, the interviews will 1) provide insight into their experiences with the trial interventions, 2) identify the mobility-related outcomes that are important to families and the factors that influence their preferences, and 3) explain the family values, experiences and contextual factors that influenced participation in the study. This research will provide information needed to allow clinicians and families to make informed choices about Lokomat therapy and physical therapy options in relation to their child's functional goals and abilities. Read Less

Pre-operative physical functioning has been acknowledged as a factor influencing post-operative complication risk, recovery progression and mortality risk. Current guidelines have yet to focus on the pre-operative period as a potential target to improve levels of physical functioning before renal transplantation. This project proposes the introduction of an exercise intervention pre-operatively to mitigate functional decline pre-operatively and improve post-operative outcomes following renal transplantation. We hypothesize that a home-based exercise prehabilitation program prior to kidney transplantation will result in improved functional outcomes including the 6-minute walk test, 60-second timed sit to stand, Fried Frailty Score, quality of life and fatigue. Further we hypothesize that prehabilitation will result in improved outcomes regarding post-operative recovery, complication rate, length of stay and mortality. Objectives A) Identify whether a prehabilitation program can mitigate functional decline pre-operatively regarding walking speed, strength, endurance, quality of life and fatigue B) To determine whether a tailored home-based exercise program prior to kidney transplantation is feasible with regards to adherence in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). C) To determine if a prehabilitation program results in improved clinical outcomes within one week following Kidney Transplantation (KT) as well as at 30 and 90 days including but not limited to time to first ambulation, time to first bowel movement, postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification), mortality and length of stay. D) Quantify the differences described above, if any exist. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to compare the positive and negative effects of Dex4® tablets, as an alternative form of fast acting carbohydrate, compared to the current standard diagnostic test, glucose beverage. The investigators hypothesis that because of their availability in solid, chewable form, variety of flavours and lack of carbonation, Dex4® tablets may result in fewer side effects than glucose beverage and provide an equivalent carbohydrate challenge for diagnosis of gestational diabetes. Read Less

Orthognathic surgery describes a group of procedures aimed at correcting developmental or acquired deformities of the jaws and facial skeleton. The goal of these procedures is to improve speech, jaw and dental function, aesthetics, and symptoms of sleep apnea. This is accomplished by surgical repositioning of the upper jaw (maxilla) and lower jaw (mandible). The most common procedures are lefort I osteotomies (upper jaw repositioning) and bilateral sagittal split osteotomies (lower jaw repositioning). At our institution, almost all cases include one or both of these two procedures. The majority of cases include bilateral sagittal split osteotomies (BSSO). As access to the jaws is through the oral cavity, these procedures are considered to be clean-contaminated surgeries due to the high intra-oral bacterial load. The result is that surgical site infections (SSIs) occur in 10-15% of cases. Studies show that the vast majority of these infections occur in the lower jaw (BSSO sites), presumably due to pooling of saliva and debris. SSIs are associated with patient discomfort, prolonged hospital stays, increased morbidity, and increased cost to healthcare systems. The use of peri-operative antibiotics has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of SSI following orthognathic surgery. There is currently no consensus on the dosing or specific antibiotic to be used. There is strong evidence that pre-operative antibiotics significantly decrease SSI compared to no antibiotics. However, to date, there is no good evidence to support the use of post-operative antibiotics to further decrease the rate of infection. Several studies have examined the use of post-operative antibiotics ranging between 1-7 days. The majority of studies were not able to demonstrate a statistically significant difference to justify the use of post-operative antibiotics. A systematic review by Danda and Ravi in 2011 suggested that there likely is a benefit to the use of post-operative antibiotics. Danda and colleagues in 2017 later conducted a trial comparing pre-operative antibiotics alone compared to pre-operative combined with post-operative antibiotics. A statistically significant difference was not found, however, they felt that this was due to a limited sample size. Overall, there is no robust data that supports the use of post-operative antibiotics. The World Health Organization guidelines currently recommend against the use of post-operative antibiotics in orthognathic surgery. However, they do comment that there is some weak evidence that suggests its use. It was deemed that this low quality evidence did not outweigh the potential harm of antimicrobial resistance, which results from inappropriate overuse of antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance is a serious, growing problem which has deadly consequences. Our current protocol at the QEII Health Sciences Center for peri-operative antibiotic administration is a single pre-operative dose of 2g cefazolin IV, followed by further doses every 8 hours post-operatively for a total of 24 hours (3 post-operative doses). Our study aims to investigate whether there is a need for these additional post-operative doses. If there is a benefit to these additional doses, the research team aims to investigate whether this benefit outweighs the risks. This question is of great importance in order to avoid an unnecessary contribution to antibiotic resistance and unnecessary potential adverse effects. Participants will be assigned a study number and randomly allocated to one of two groups. Group A will receive a single pre-operative dose of 2g IV cefazolin. Group B will receive a pre-operative dose of 2g IV cefazolin, followed by an additional three doses post-operatively every 8 hours for a total of 24 hours. Informed consent will be obtained at each participant's pre-operative assessment in the days leading up to the procedure. The participant will then select a group designation from a sufficiently mixed jar, and group A or B will be assigned to their study number. For each patient, the procedures completed will be documented, along with age, sex, smoking status, length of procedures, and complications. Complications including medication adverse reaction (allergy, toxicity, side effects), surgical complications, and any other significant complications related to the medications or deemed to be relevant to infection risk will be documented. Procedures will be carried out in the standard fashion. Patients will receive the same post-operative instructions and will be discharged with a chlorhexidine mouth rinse to be used for two weeks. Patients will return for follow-up at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks post-operatively. Surgical site infection diagnosis will be made according to the CDC criteria and will be reported as either superficial, deep, or organ/space infections. Date of occurrence, location of infection, and treatment provided will be recorded on a standard form provided to surgeons. Read Less

The Canadian Australasian Randomized Trial of Screening Kidney Transplant Candidates for Coronary Artery Disease (CARSK) will test the hypothesis that eliminating the regular use of non-invasive screening tests for CAD AFTER waitlist activation is not inferior to regular (i.e., annual) screening for CAD during wait-listing for the prevention of Major Adverse Cardiac Events. Secondary analyses will assess the impact of screening on the rate of transplantation, and the relative cost-effectiveness of screening. Read Less