Heart Diseases Clinical Trials

Individuals who self-report as SAs will be recruited to participate in this registry as well as non-SA controls for comparison. All individuals who consent to participate will 1) complete a survey assessing demographics, medical history, family medical history; 2) have blood collection; 3) and CCTA assessment. These data will be combined with clinical data from the electronic health record and, if applicable, the Dallas Hearts and Mind Study and other research studies, for research purposes. The registry will serve to generate primary observations as well as preliminary data for future studies. Read Less

To prospectively investigate the efficacy of an insertable cardiac monitor-guided atrial fibrillation (AF) management in reducing subsequent AF burden in patients with persistent or paroxysmal AF undergoing atrial catheter ablation (CA). Read Less

AliveCor (www.alivecor.com) has developed several electrocardiogram (ECG) devices that interface with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets via various Kardia apps. The current Kardia family of devices can measure single lead and six limb-lead ECGs, depending on the device. KardiaMobile, KardiaMobile 6L, and KardiaMobile Card have FDA clearance for ECG rhythm recording. A modified single-lead Kardia smartphone 12-lead ECG was previously validated in the multicenter ST LEUIS study for the diagnosis of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI). Recently, AliveCor developed a new device: AliveCor (AC) 12-lead (12L) ECG System to record simultaneously 4 leads of ECG and then generate complete 12-lead ECGs. A previous protocol at the University of Oklahoma involved 200 subjects with early prototypes of the AC 12L device with the specific aim to validate that it accurately generated 12-lead ECGs as compared to simultaneously acquired FDA-cleared 12-lead ECGs. The prototype version of the AliveCor 12L ECG System simultaneously measured four channels of ECG (leads I, II, V2, V4), calculated the remaining limb leads as is standard for 12-lead ECGs (Leads III, aVR, aVL, aVF) and synthesized the remaining 4 precordial ECG leads (V1, V3, V5, V6). This protocol will serve to validate the production version of the system against standard 12-Lead ECGs for the diagnosis of STEMI and NSTEMI in patients admitted to the Emergency Department or directly to the Cardiac Cath Lab for the evaluation of chest pain. It is anticipated that the waveforms for each of the 12 leads from the AC 12L ECG System will be highly correlated with the corresponding leads from the comparator commercially available 12-lead ECG devices used at participating sites. The purpose of this study is to clinically validate that the four-channel AC 12L ECG device can enable the diagnosis of STEMI and NSTEMI in a non-inferior manner to existing 12-lead ECG devices. Read Less

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the leading cause of death worldwide. While medications, such as statins, significantly reduce atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk by lowering low density lipoprotein levels, they may also have pleiotropic effects on inflammation. The immunomodulatory effects of these medications are relevant to ASCVD risk reduction given that inflammation plays a central role in atherosclerotic plaque formation (atherogenesis) and influences the development of vulnerable plaque morphology. Patients on statins, however, may have residual inflammation contributing to incident ASCVD despite the potent LDL-lowering effects of statins. While new therapies, such as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PSCK9) inhibitors, further reduce incident ASCVD and drastically reduce LDL-C below that achieved by statin therapy alone, PCSK9 inhibitors may also have pleiotropic effects on inflammation. Thus, PCSK9 inhibitors may help reduce arterial inflammation to a level closer to that of patients without ASCVD. This study will apply a novel targeted molecular imaging approach, technetium 99m (99mTc)-tilmanocept SPECT/CT, to determine if residual macrophage-specific arterial inflammation is present with statin therapy and the immunomodulatory effects of PSCK9 inhibition. Given the continued high mortality and morbidity attributable to ASCVD, strong imperatives exist to better understand the immunomodulatory effects of lipid lowering therapies and residual inflammatory risk. This understanding, in turn, will inform the development of new ASCVD preventative and treatment strategies as well as elucidate other indications for established therapies. Read Less

To collect, preserve, and/or distribute annotated biospecimens and associated medical data to institutionally approved, investigator-directed biomedical research to discover and develop new treatments, diagnostics, and preventative methods for specific and complex conditions. Read Less

Many conditions affecting health are caused by a combination of environment, behaviors, and genes. While individuals can alter some factors in their lives to reduce the chances of developing different diseases (e.g., not smoking cigarettes), the contribution from genetic risk encoded by DNA remains with people throughout their lives. Scientists are still trying to determine the entirety of genetic factors that influence disease, but for some conditions it has been shown that the factors identified thus far can begin to identify people at high to low genetic risk. Looking across the genome, scientists can calculate a cumulative genetic risk score - which can be used to rank genetic risk compared to other worldwide populations. The goal of this study is to determine how genetic risk influences health decisions and other things that can be controlled in life. The first genetic risk score is calculated for coronary heart disease (CAD). CAD ultimately leads to heart attacks, heart failure and sometimes sudden cardiac death and is the main reason heart disease remains as the number one cause of death worldwide. Other researchers have shown that this genetic risk score can be used to identify people with low, intermediate, and high risk for coronary heart disease. It has also been shown that the use of statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) provides greater benefit and protection against heart attack for people with high genetic risk for coronary artery disease. Leveraging the Apple ResearchKit and the ResearchKit linked 23andMe API, customers of 23andMe are able to provide researchers access to their genomic data. Participants will use the ResearchKit app to provide consent, view study information, answer surveys, and contact the study team. Participants will be asked to complete 3 surveys. One before viewing genetic risk scores, one immediately after viewing scores, and one 6 months after viewing scores. Read Less

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) will serve as the site for the RURAL Study Coordinating Center, led by PI Vasan Ramachandran, MD. The primary function of the Study Coordinating Center (SCC) is to serve as an administrative liaison between all of the RURAL study's cores. The SCC schedules, facilitates, and hosts, all RURAL meetings including preparation for Observational Study Monitoring Board (OSMB) meetings, and maintains direct communication with the study's program officers at NHLBI. The SCC monitors the overall progress of RURAL and keeps all RURAL cores abreast of study updates through meetings, emails, newsletters. It also maintains the official RURAL website and serves as an administrator for investigators seeking to collaborate with RURAL through the submission of Ancillary Studies. The SCC will have no direct interaction with any participants, nor will it have access to identifiable data. Read Less

To test the specific research questions, healthy men and age-matched healthy premenopausal females will be enrolled. Subjects will undergo cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy (MRI/MRS) to evaluate cardiac morphology/function and fat metabolism. To acutely elevate myocardial triglyceride content, subjects will be asked to abstain from eating for 2 days (reproducibly causes a significant and physiological increase in myocardial fat deposition, transiently). Subjects will be allowed water and/or an isotonic saline solution in order to maintain hydration status. After screening, subjects will meet with the research coordinator or an investigator for a discussion, with opportunity for questions, before applicable consent forms are obtained. The subject will be screened for metal in or on their body and claustrophobia using a standard MR screening form. A venous blood sample will be taken for measurement of metabolic health, circulating hormones, and systemic inflammation. Imaging will include cine imaging for global morphology and function, tissue tagging for regional tissue deformation, spectroscopy for fat quantification. After baseline images of the heart are obtained, the subject will be asked to squeeze a MR-safe handgrip dynamometer at 30% of their maximum while images of the heart are obtained. Blood pressure will also be measured at rest and during stress. Each MRI will take approximately 90-120 minutes. Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that cardiac steatosis induced left ventricular dysfunction is sexually dimorphic, by comparing age-matched men and premenopausal women before and after 48 of fasting. Subjects will complete the MRI/MRS protocol described above before and after the fasting intervention. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that estrogen is protective against cardiac steatosis-induced dysfunction, by suppressing ovarian sex hormones with a GnRH antagonist and repeating the fasting studies with and without estrogen add-back. 30 female subjects will be treated with GnRH antagonist and repeat the 48 hour fasting intervention and cardiac MRI/MRS protocol. 15 of the subjects will receive estrogen add-back using a transdermal patch, the other 15 subjects will receive a placebo patch. Aim 3 will test whether plasma and myocardial fatty acid composition is sexually dimorphic, by performing comprehensive plasma and myocardial lipidomics assessment. Read Less

The goal of this pilot study is to describe and compare Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) Blocks using Exparel® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) to Marcaine® (bupivacaine hydrochloride) for pain management and outcomes after cardiac surgeries. Read Less

To determine the feasibility of 64Cu-DOTA-ECL1i, an investigational PET imaging drug, at the cellular level in the myocardium for individuals who have suffered a heart attack or who have other inflammatory heart disease. Read Less