Clinical Research Directory

Multicenter Trial of Antithrombotic Strategies in Acute Coronary Syndrome With Coronary Artery Ectasia

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a condition in which a coronary artery becomes abnormally dilated, measuring at least 50% larger than the adjacent normal segment. Although relatively uncommon, CAE is clinically important because it can lead to abnormal blood flow and increase the risk of blood clot formation. Patients with CAE are at higher risk of angina, myocardial infarction, and complications during coronary interventions. Despite these risks, the optimal antithrombotic treatment for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and CAE remains uncertain. Dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin plus clopidogrel) is currently the most commonly used treatment. However, the abnormal blood flow patterns observed in CAE may promote clot formation through mechanisms that could potentially be better addressed with anticoagulant therapy. The OVER-TIME II trial is a multicenter randomized clinical trial designed to compare two antithrombotic strategies in patients with ACS and CAE: standard dual antiplatelet therapy versus antiplatelet monotherapy combined with anticoagulation. The study aims to determine whether the addition of anticoagulation reduces major cardiovascular events without significantly increasing bleeding risk.

Triple vs Dual Lipid-Lowering Therapy for LDL-C Reduction in Acute Coronary Syndrome

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether triple lipid-lowering therapy (atorvastatin, ezetimibe, and bempedoic acid) is more effective than dual therapy (atorvastatin and ezetimibe) in reducing LDL cholesterol levels in adults with acute coronary syndrome. It will also assess the safety of the treatment. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does triple therapy result in greater reduction in LDL-C compared to dual therapy? * What adverse effects occur in participants receiving triple therapy? Researchers will compare triple therapy to dual therapy to determine its effectiveness in lowering LDL-C levels. Participants will: * Receive either dual or triple lipid-lowering therapy for 3 months * Attend regular follow-up visits for clinical assessment and laboratory testing * Undergo lipid profile evaluation at baseline and at the end of the study

Fexuprazan for Prevention of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in High Bleeding Risk Patients Receiving Dual Antiplatelet Therapy

This study evaluates whether fexuprazan is effective in preventing upper gastrointestinal bleeding and related upper gastrointestinal clinical events in high bleeding risk patients who require dual antiplatelet therapy after coronary stent implantation. A total of 400 participants at a single center will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio within 48 hours after stent implantation to receive either fexuprazan 40 milligrams or lansoprazole 30 milligrams once daily for 6 months. The study will compare upper gastrointestinal clinical events during follow-up

Qatar Cardiometabolic Retrospective Cohort-Analysis Using Artificial Intelligence

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and individuals with diabetes or other cardiometabolic conditions are at increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Although advances in prevention and treatment have reduced cardiovascular events globally, cardiometabolic disease continues to represent a significant health burden, particularly in regions with high diabetes prevalence.In Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the prevalence of diabetes and obesity is increasing, contributing to a high proportion of patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome who have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.This observational study will use electronic medical record data from patients hospitalized at the Heart Hospital with acute coronary syndrome and a concomitant diagnosis of diabetes or prediabetes. The study will assess trends in cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular events, including readmission and mortality.An artificial intelligence component will be used to develop and validate machine-learning-based risk prediction models to forecast adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cardiometabolic disease. These models will integrate clinical, biochemical, imaging, and other non-invasive data routinely collected during patient care to identify predictors of cardiovascular events.

Sirolimus-Coated vs Paclitaxel-Coated DCBs in ACS Treatment

This study aims to investigate and compare the local inflammatory responses and plaque healing characteristics between sirolimus-coated and paclitaxel-coated coronary drug-coated balloons in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

IVUS-Guided vs Angiography-Guided PCI in Acute Coronary Syndrome

Coronary artery disease is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a pivotal procedure for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Although coronary angiography (CA) is the standard imaging modality used for coronary stent implantation, it provides only two-dimensional images of the coronary arteries. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) can provide additional information on plaque characteristics and vessel morphology, which may facilitate optimal stent sizing and procedural optimization. However, IVUS requires additional time and cost and may increase procedural complexity. Evidence regarding the clinical benefit of IVUS-guided PCI in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains limited. This study is a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial designed to compare IVUS-guided PCI versus angiography-guided PCI in patients with ACS. A total of 1,500 participants will be randomized 1:1 to either the IVUS-guided group or the angiography-guided group. Participants will be recruited from 15 PCI centers in Korea. The primary outcome is target vessel failure at 2 years.

Effect of Intravenous Iron on Quality of Life in Older Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome

The goal of this phase IV, open-label, randomized clinical trial is to evaluate whether intravenous iron improves quality of life in adults aged 65 years and older with iron deficiency after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does intravenous iron improve quality of life at 6 and 12 months? * Does it reduce frailty and adverse clinical outcomes? Researchers will compare intravenous ferric carboxymaltose with standard of care. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to receive intravenous iron or standard care * Attend three study visits over 12 months * Complete questionnaires and undergo blood tests

MPV as a Predictor for ACS in Patients With MASLD

The aim of this study is to evaluate mean platelet volume (MPV) as a predictor of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD to evaluate mean platelet volume (MPV) as a predictor of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in Sohag University Hospital.

Evaluation Through Innovative Examinations of Intestinal Dysbiosis Status in Patients Diagnosed With Cardiovascular Diseases and Evaluation of the Efficacy of Natural and Probiotic Extracts in the Non-pharmacological Approach to Improving Intestinal Dysbiosis Status.

The prospective experimental study aims to take an instantaneous photograph of the subject at time T0 and after 24 hours of intestinal permeability and dysbiosis indices in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) which include unstable coronary artery disease (unstable angina) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim is to verify whether essential oils in particular formulations with high bioavailability are able to re-establish intestinal eubiosis after 2 months, confirmed by tests laboratory specifics such as metabolomics.

Drug-Eluting Balloon Treatment vs. Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy for the Treatment of Lipid-Rich Plaques

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out whether treating vulnerable plaques in the coronary arteries with a drug-coated balloon can make them less dangerous than using standard medication alone. The study includes adults with acute coronary syndrome (a type of heart problem caused by reduced blood flow in the coronary arteries). The main questions the study aims to answer are: * Does the drug-coated balloon reduce the amount of fat inside the plaque more than medication alone? * Is this treatment safe for patients? Participants will: * Undergo imaging of their coronary arteries during their planned heart procedure (PCI) * Be randomly assigned to receive either a drug-coated balloon treatment or no extra treatment * Undergo a heart scan (CT scan of the coronary arteries) within 2 weeks and again around 9 months after the procedure. * Undergo a second heart catherization 9 months later to examine changes in the plaque.

Influenza Vaccination After Acute Coronary Syndrome

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if influenza vaccination can prevent adverse cardiac events in Chinese acute coronary syndrome patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Whether influenza vaccination can decrease events of cardiovascular death, MI, or stroke? * Whether influenza vaccination can decrease events of all cause death, unplanned revascularization, unplanned hospitalization for heart failure or for arrhythmia, stent thrombosis? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare influenza vaccination and placebo to see if adverse cardiac events decrease. Participants will receive an influenza vaccination or placebo after enrollment and phone calls for follow-up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after discharge.

One-hoUr Troponin Using a High-sensitivity Point-Of-Care Assay in Emergency Primary Care

Acute chest pain is a prevalent medical emergency in primary emergency care settings. Triage of chest pain prior to hospital admission presents significant challenges due to the absence of sufficiently sensitive diagnostic tools. Clinical signs, symptoms, risk assessment scores, or a normal electrocardiogram (ECG) can reliably exclude acute myocardial infarction (MI). This diagnostic uncertainty has resulted in chest pain being the second most common cause for acute hospital referrals from Norwegian emergency primary care, even though chest pain is frequently non-cardiac in origin. In acute MI events, cardiac troponins are released into the bloodstream from the damaged myocardium, where low values are used to exclude MI. Until recently, such testing has necessitated using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays, which have been limited to hospital laboratories. However, recent technological advancements in point-of-care (POC) testing allow access to whole-blood assays that meet high-sensitivity criteria. In this upcoming project, the investigators will evaluate the implementation of a whole-blood POC assay (QuidelOrtho TriageTrue hs-cTnI) across six Norwegian emergency primary care clinics. The study plans to enrol 2,500 patients over a period of 1.5 years. The clinical performance of the novel strategy will be investigated, as well as its impact on healthcare utilization and hospital referrals compared to standard care. Additionally, the investigators will assess the prevalence of persistent chest pain and its effects on quality of life, alongside psychological stress and anxiety, through validated questionnaires. This project aims to offer better and more comprehensive management of the large group of emergency primary care patients with acute chest pain, contributing to reduced hospital referrals, improved quality of life, and more sustainable use of healthcare services.

Effectiveness of Interventional Therapy for Non-Flow-Limiting Vulnerable Plaques

The aim of this clinical trial is to explore the optimal preventative treatment strategy for non-flow-limiting vulnerable plaques. The main question it aims to answer is: Can interventional therapy further improve the outcome of non-flow-limiting vulnerable plaques on top of optimal pharmacologic therapy? Researchers will randomly assign patients who meet the inclusion criteria to preventative intervention plus optimal drug therapy (experimental group) or optimal drug therapy alone (control group). Participants will: Assigned to the control group: optimized drug therapy consisting of lifestyle improvement and intensive drug therapy including high-dose statin or other therapy to achieve target levels (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol \<1.4 mmol/L and decreased by 50% compared to the baseline). Lifestyle improvement and risk factor management included smoking cessation, nutritional optimization, physical activity, compliance with prescribed medications, and control of diabetes and hypertension. Assigned to the experimental group: all non-flow-limiting vulnerable plaques were treated with conventional second-generation drug-eluting stents. After the procedure, participants received dual antiplatelet therapy for about 12 months as well as other medications in the control group.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Intervention After Acute Coronary Syndrome on Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the worldwide leading cause of death. For the French public health, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for the women and the second for men. Each year in France, approximately 120,000 acute coronary syndromes (ACS) occur, including 60,000 myocardial infarctions and more than 15,000 deaths. To prevent or reverse this process, the WHO recommends early detection of the diseases and reduce behavioral and cardiovascular risk factors. For the patient, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommends the implementation of secondary prevention measures, the lifestyle modifications and the encouragement to become an actor in the management of his health. The first year, the medical follow-up is recommended at 3, 6 and 12 months. Since 2019, in order to reduce the impact of LDL cholesterol, the ESC has recommended that LDL cholesterol levels be lower than 0.55 g/L accompanied by a reduction of at least 50% from their initial value. In 2023, it clarified this recommendation by recommending a laboratory reassessment within 4-6 weeks after hospital discharge. The application of these recommendations comes up against the difficulties of real life: 1. The increase in the number of elderly people and people with one or more chronic diseases; 2. In France, the significant regional disparities in the number of physicians; 3. In 2022, six months after hospitalization for an ACS, only 21.6% of French patients had benefited from a cardiac rehabilitation program; 4. Within 12 months of acute coronary syndrome, only 20% to 40% of patients achieved the LDL cholesterol targets recommended by the ESC. Given the difficulties in implementing the recommendations, investigators believe it is essential to rethink the care pathway for post-ACS patients. The investigator's hypothesis is that, in addition to the standard pathway, a care offering access to other healthcare professionals (advanced practice nurse, dietitian, pharmacist) should increase the proportion of patients achieving LDL cholesterol targets (LDL cholesterol \< 0.55 g/L and a 50% reduction in this level compared to the baseline value) at 12 months. LDL cholesterol was selected as the endpoint because it has been proven that a reduction in LDL cholesterol corresponds to a 22% reduction in cardiovascular events. To test this hypothesis, the investigators designed a multicenter controlled and randomized trial with two parallel arms: * "Routine Cares" arm: Each center will program cares as usual and will schedule patient follow-up according to their wishes (cardiac rehabilitation, visits to the general practitioner and/or cardiologist). * "Intervention" arm: In addition to routine care as described above, the patient will receive an interdisciplinary consultation one month after hospital discharge and three consultations with the IPA (3, 6, and 12 months). In order for the conclusions of this protocol to reflect French practices, it is planned to include 230 people who have presented with acute coronary syndrome in four healthcare facilities in France (both in Paris and outside Paris).

ECG-less Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in the Management of Patients Presenting With High-troponin Chest Pain

Chest pain represents a common reason for consultation to emergency room. This symptom can be explained by a broad spectrum of conditions, from benign musculoskeletal or esophageal pain to life-threatening disease such as aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, and myocardial infarction. There are already different diagnostic tools to quickly identify most dangerous diseases, for example electrocardiogram, blood samples with specific markers of cardiac injury, chest X-ray and echography. In case a doubt of disease is raised after the first clinical evaluation, it is possible to proceed with more complex, expensive and invasive examinations, namely a computed tomography (CT) scan or an invasive coronary angiography (ICA). CT scan allows the diagnosis of various conditions such as pleural, pulmonary, pericardial and vascular disease such as pneumonia, pneumothorax, pleural and pericardial fluid, pulmonary embolism (PE), acute aortic dissection (AOD). In order to see the pulmonary, aortic and coronary arteries, a contrast injection is needed. Moreover, since the heart and the aortic root are continuously moving, specific technical measures to obtain good quality images are needed. Recently, a new CT scan system has been developed. It allows to obtain good quality images of the heart and aortic root using an estimated heart rhythm, without ECG-gating. This allows to perform a CT scan of the heart in a reduced amount of time, and without need for controlling heart rate. Moreover, it is possible to obtain information on both aortic, coronary, and pulmonary artery with the same contrast injection. This may be of great interest in the context of patients presenting at the emergency room with chest pain and with a suspicion of pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, or aortic dissection, since with a single fast exam it is possible to rule out all these conditions. Coronary arteries are very small vessels, and the accuracy of this new technique in identifying a significant obstruction is still to be proved. At present, patients with chest pain and a suspicion of myocardial infarction undergo an invasive coronary angiography. If this new tool proves to be reliable, it will be possible to reduce the number of useless invasive examination in patients in which the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) is ruled-out. In addition, the CT scan can help quickly and effectively plan treatment when worrying abnormalities are detected in the coronary arteries that are associated with a higher risk. Therefore, this clinical trial (further on referred to as "trial") will evaluate the investigational medicinal product (IMP), ECG-less Revolution Apex Elite system (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI -USA) for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. The purpose of this trial is to learn about: the accuracy of this new CT system compared to the gold standard invasive coronary angiography in diagnosing coronary artery disease. The number of patients receiving an alternative diagnosis such as pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, pulmonary, pleural or pericardial disease will be evaluated. Finally, the prognostic predictive value of the CT compared with ICA, in predicting myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and cardiac death at a follow-up of 18 months will be assessed. Patient will undergo a computer tomography examination with this new technique, evaluating both pulmonary, aortic, and coronary arteries. Then, as indicated by current guidelines, they will undergo an invasive coronary angiography.

Starring Optical Coherence Tomography During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Guidance

The starring optical coherence tomography during percutaneous coronary intervention guidance (OCT-AGEM) registry aims to evaluate the clinical impact of intra-procedural optical coherence tomography (OCT) in coronary revascularization, both in guiding revascularization decisions and optimizing interventional procedural outcomes, as well as assessing mid- and long-term clinical results.

Occurrence of Severe Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Disturbances in Emergency Department Patients With Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Among them, coronary artery disease-especially in its acute form, known as acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-is the most frequent cause of cardiovascular death. There are two main types of ACS: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). While the occurrence of serious heart rhythm and conduction disturbances is well established in STEMI, these complications are believed to be much less frequent in NSTE-ACS. However, their actual frequency in this population remains unclear due to limited studies, especially in emergency settings. The main purpose of this study is to estimate the frequency of serious rhythm and conduction disorders in patients presenting with NSTE-ACS in emergency departments. The hypothesis is that these events are rare in this population and may not justify routine continuous cardiac monitoring for all such patients, as currently recommended. Secondary objectives include identifying risk factors for these complications, estimating their frequency during hospitalization, assessing the frequency of minor rhythm and conduction disorders, evaluating care times and patient flow in emergency departments, and assessing patient outcomes up to 30 days-including hospitalizations, length of stay, discharge disposition, all-cause mortality, and the occurrence of five major adverse cardiovascular events (5-point MACE).

Patient-centered Personalized Cardiac Rehabilitation in Post Acute Coronary Syndrome (BREAK-trial)

The primary objective of this study is to compare an integrated, multidisciplinar patient-centered CRP (Cardiac Rehabilitation Program) (intervention group) especially focused on covering the needs for the female and fragile population to the usual care conventional CRP (control group)

Ticin Pilot Study: Sirolimus-Eluting Balloon for Stabilization and Regression of Non-Obstructive Coronary Plaques.

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to evaluate the use of the Selution SLR sirolimus-eluting balloon, in addition to guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), for the preventive treatment of non-flow-limiting vulnerable coronary lesions, compared to GDMT alone, in adult patients with multivessel coronary artery disease and a recent acute coronary syndrome (within 90 days). The main research question is: Does the use of the Selution SLR sirolimus-eluting balloon in combination with GDMT reduce the progression and vulnerability of non-flow-limiting vulnerable coronary plaques? Participants will undergo * PCI procedure with baseline IVUS-NIRS assessment * Follow-up coronary angiography at 6 months with IVUS-NIRS assessment * Clinical follow-up at 3, 6, and 24 months after study enrollment

Effect of Point-of-care Analysis of Ultrasensitive Troponin I on Length of Hospital Stay in Patients With Cardiac Chest Pain (POC Troponina)

This clinical study aims to compare two different methods for measuring high-sensitivity troponin I, a key biomarker used to diagnose heart attacks. The primary research question is: Does the use of the Atellica VTLi kit from Siemens for high-sensitivity troponin I (hs-cTnI) testing at the point of care (POC) significantly reduce the average time from admission to hospital discharge compared to the conventional laboratory methodology using the Alinity i kit from ABBOTT? Participant will: * Patients aged ≥ 18 years. * Patients arriving in the emergency room with symptoms suggestive of ACS, with onset of pain between 3 and 12 hours after arrival, in whom serial troponin dosing is planned for investigation. * Signature of the Informed Consent Form (ICF). Researchers will analyze whether the point-of-care testing method helps speed up the hospital discharge process compared to the standard laboratory approach. They will also compare the accuracy of the test results, the time taken for clinical decisions, and the overall cost-effectiveness of the two methods.

Risk Evaluation by COronary Imaging and Artificial intelliGence Based fuNctIonal analyZing tEchniques - IV

This study is a single-center, prospective cohort study. The study is designed to identify novel circulating biomarkers for early prediction of high-risk coronary plaques. Patients diagnosed with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) or non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), with marginal lesions or obstructive lesions in major coronary arteries detected by noninvasive coronary CT angiography (CCTA) or invasive coronary angiography (ICA), will be consecutively enrolled. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), with or without other intracoronary imaging modalities such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), will be performed. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), bioinformatic analysis, and machine learning methods will be performed to characterize plasma proteomic profiles. The cohort will be followed-up every 3 months for 2 years. The association of novel biomarkers with the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) will be examined.

Risk Evaluation by COronary Imaging and Artificial intelliGence Based fuNctIonal analyZing tEchniques - III

This is a single-center, prospective cohort study. This study is designed to accurately analyze coronary artery plaque characteristics and local hemodynamic parameters in patients diagnosed with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) or non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), with marginal lesions or obstructive lesions in major coronary arteries by multimodality imaging including noninvasive coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and intracoronary imaging techniques, such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The purpose of this study is to improve the accuracy and depth of plaque analysis by CCTA under the guidance of intracoronary imaging, therefore constructing a new CCTA-based high-risk plaque model.