Clinical Research Directory

REdo Transcatheter Aortic VALVE Implantation for the Management of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Failure

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a key-hole technique to replace an aortic heart valve that is narrowed and/or leaking. Although TAVI is a safe and effective treatment for a faulty aortic heart valve, the new TAVI valve will not last forever. Because it is a 'tissue' valve (made from the lining of a cow or pig heart), the valve will fail after a period of time as the tissue degenerates. When the TAVI valve fails, a viable treatment option is to perform a 'Redo TAVI' procedure, implanting a second TAVI valve inside the first failing valve. The main purpose of this study is to carefully evaluate patients being treated by Redo TAVI in order to document the short-term and long-term outcomes of the procedure. The study will also obtain information about which factors predict those outcomes. The study will also assess outcomes in patients who present with TAVI valve failure but are not suitable for Redo TAVI, and instead are treated either by open-heart surgery and surgical aortic valve replacement, or by medical therapy (medication). The study will provide doctors the information they need to understand the best way to treat patients who present with TAVI valve failure, and in particular how to perform Redo TAVI procedures with the best possible outcomes for patients.

Clinical Monitoring Strategy Versus Electrophysiology-guided Algorithmic Approach With a New LBBB After TAVI

The primary hypothesis of the proposed study is that an electrophysiology-based algorithmic approach is superior to standard clinical follow-up with 30-day monitoring in reducing the combined endpoint of syncope, hospitalization, and death in patients in patients with new of left bundle branch block following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Prevalence and Post-surgical Outcomes of CARdiac Wild-type TransthyrEtin amyloidoSIs in Elderly Patients With Aortic steNosis Referred for Valvular Replacement.

Background: The prevalence of both senile cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and aortic stenosis (AS) markedly increases with age. Aortic stenosis increases left ventricular pressure overload. Cardiac deposits have been observed in AS and the amount of these deposits has been correlated to post-surgical outcome. As they are strong echocardiographic and cardiac MRI imaging similarities between CA and AS, the investigators hypothesized that the deposit observed in AS is transthyretin amyloid deposit. The investigators objective is to demonstrate that amyloid deposit is associated with poor outcomes following aortic stenosis surgical valve replacement. Materiel and methods: 180 patients with indication for surgical aortic valve replacement will be recruited prospectively and consecutively in 5 French centers. A replicative study will be performed in one Austrian center. Echocardiography, cardiac MRI and bone scintigraphy will be performed prior to surgery. During surgery, a basal LV septum biopsy will be collected for determination and quantification of interstitial deposits using specific staining which will be performed in a blind fashion. Clinical outcomes will be recorded during the hospitalization period following the surgery and at 1 year. Alive and re-hospitalization status will be determined. Patients will be classified according to the presence or not of amyloid deposits. Expected results and impact: This study will emphasize how pressure overload stress accelerates and magnifies amyloid deposition usually known to be related to cardiac aging process. It will develop reliable imaging tools and markers to detect cardiac amyloid deposition. Correlation between anatomopathologic analyses and the three different imaging technics will identify accurate imaging markers of CA. A risk stratification model based on amyloid deposits level for the clinical management of these patients will be created combining imaging and biological markers.

ALLIANCE AVIV: Safety and Effectiveness of the SAPIEN X4 Transcatheter Heart Valve in Failing Aortic Bioprosthetic Valves

The objective of this study is to establish the safety and effectiveness of the Edwards SAPIEN X4/X4S Transcatheter Heart Valve (THV) in subjects who are at high or greater risk with a failing aortic bioprosthetic valve.

The Per-procedural Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Trial

The study is a prospective, crossover, cluster randomized trial in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The study tests whether cephalosporin plus beta-lactam antibiotic with spectrum for Enterococcus faecalis as per procedural prophylaxis is superior to cephalosporin alone in reducing the composite outcome of bacteremia or death at 6 months post-TAVI.

A Study to Obtain Imaging Data in 40 Patients Having Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)

The aim of this study is to learn if the Computed Tomography scan (CT scan) and heart echo scan TransThoracic Echo scan (TTE or heart echo scan) taken before a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure can be used to predict how the new TAVI valve will perform in the future. To do this the investigators need the usual CT scan before and a new CT scan after the TAVI valve has been put in. At present a CT scan after TAVI procedure is not routinely done. Male and female patients with severe Aortic Stenosis (AS) will be asked to take part. The data from the scans along with routine measures that are taken will be used to assess if there has been any deterioration in the valve at six months. The scan data collected will be used in a computer programme. This programme will be trained to predict TAVI valve performance. The main purpose of this study is to collect the CT scan data before and after the TAVI procedure. The study aims to answer: • Can the investigators obtain additional CT imaging data and other data before and after TAVI to enable the prediction of valve performance? Participants will be asked if they would have another CT scan 6 months after their TAVI procedure, during their routine follow up.

VitaFlow LIBERTY Europe

This is a prospective, single-arm, multi-center, observational, post-market clinical investigation to document the clinical safety and performance of MicroPort CardioFlow VitaFlow Liberty™ Transcatheter Aortic Valve System in the routine practice for the treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis. The primary endpoint is the composite rate of all-cause mortality and stroke with disability at 12 months. Patients will receive transcatheter aortic valve replacement and examinations at the screening, procedure, discharge, and follow-up per local standard of care.

Blood Pressure Reduction in Patients With Asymptomatic Aortic VALVE Stenosis

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of strict blood pressure control versus conventional care in patients with asymptomatic moderate to severe aortic valve stenosis. The study is a randomized (1:1), open label, controlled intervention trial. Hypothesis: 1. Strict BP control for 12 months reduces the progression of LV remodelling compared to conventional treatment. 2. Strict BP control for 2 years reduces the increase in aortic valve calcification and LV remodelling compared to conventional treatment. 3. Strict BP reduction for up to 10 years reduces the need for aortic valve replacement and cardiovascular events compared to conventional care.

Spanish Prospective Registry of Hydra THV for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

This study is designed to evaluate the success rate of transfemoral implantation of the Hydra THV biological aortic valve prosthesis in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. The device is used in accordance with its Instructions for Use as a CE-marked transcatheter heart valve system. The study will assess procedural success, device performance, and early clinical outcomes following implantation. Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) via the transfemoral approach will be followed to evaluate safety and effectiveness outcomes, including short- and mid-term clinical follow-up.

Vericiguat for the Inhibition of Calcific Aortic Valve Stenosis Progression

Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is a condition in which the aortic valve progressively narrows and stiffens due to calcium deposition, eventually impairing blood flow from the heart to the body. No drug therapy has been proven to slow CAVS progression. Individuals with mild-to-moderate CAVS are managed with periodic monitoring until the stenosis becomes severe, at which point surgical or transcatheter valve replacement is the only treatment option. The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether vericiguat, an oral soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, can slow the progression of mild-to-moderate CAVS. The primary questions this study aims to answer are: Does vericiguat slow the progression of aortic valve calcium accumulation, as measured by the change in aortic valve calcium score from baseline to 24 months, compared to placebo? The study will compare vericiguat against a placebo (an inactive pill that is identical in appearance but contains no active drug). Both participants and the research team will not know which treatment each participant is receiving throughout the study. Participants will: Take vericiguat or placebo orally once daily for 24 months; Begin treatment at 2.5 mg/day and undergo a stepwise dose increase every two weeks to a target dose of 10 mg/day, provided the drug is tolerated; Attend approximately 8 scheduled study visits over two years, during which they will undergo cardiac imaging examinations (transthoracic echocardiography and non-contrast cardiac CT), blood sample collection, physical assessment, and completion of standardized questionnaires on quality of life and heart failure symptoms; Undergo cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the beginning and end of the study, if there are no contraindications. Approximately 238 participants will be enrolled across roughly 19 hospitals in China.

Comparison of Allegra vs Sapien Transcatheter Aortic Valves in Valve-In-Valve Indication

The VIVALL-2 study is a randomized trial to compare the self-expandable supra-annular Allegra and the balloon-expandable intra-annular Edwards transcatheter valve systems in patients with degenerated biological aortic surgical valve.

CardioHeartConnect: Commercially Available Fitness for Cardiac Rehabilitation

This trial evaluates the effectiveness of CardioHeartConnect, an eight-week mobile cardiac rehabilitation intervention using Peloton fitness modules, compared to educational control among patients recovering from transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The study aims to improve physical activity, functional capacity, quality of life, and cardiovascular health using wearable devices and a digital engagement platform. A total of 200 patients will be recruited from the UCHealth Structural Heart and Valve Clinic and randomized to either CardioHeartConnect or CardioHeartEd. Participants will be assessed at baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 months using surveys, smartwatch data, and electronic health records.

Structured Shared Decision Making for Patients Undergoing SAVR or TAVR

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a well-established alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for the treatment of patients with severe aortic stenosis regardless of surgical risk. While TAVR and SAVR share some of the benefits and risks, they importantly differ with regards to invasiveness, time to recovery, hemodynamics, as well as options for re-intervention and possibly valve durability. An early benefit of TAVR may be offset by late risks. Therefore, current guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology recommend an integration of patient values and preferences for the selection of the treatment modality. The objective of the TOGETHER trial is to investigate the efficacy of a structured shared decision making approach (SDM) to improve patient-centered outcomes for the choice between SAVR and TAVR. TOGETHER is an investigator-initiated, randomized, open-label, single-center clinical trial. A total of 140 patients referred for treatment of symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and deemed to undergo TAVR or SAVR according to heart team decision will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to structured SDM or usual care.

ENVISION IDE Trial: Safety and Effectiveness of NAVITOR in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

The objective of ENVISION is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Navitor Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) System for treating patients with symptomatic, severe native aortic stenosis who are considered intermediate or low risk for surgical mortality. The trial will also evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Navitor TAVI System in a valve-in-valve (ViV) application in patients with symptomatic heart disease due to failure of a surgical or transcatheter bioprosthetic aortic valve who are at high or greater surgical risk. In addition, the trial will assess the safety of the Navitor TAVI System for the treatment of symptomatic, severe native aortic stenosis in patients with bicuspid aortic valve anatomy, irrespective of surgical risk classification.

Early Valve Replacement Guided by Biomarkers of LV Decompensation in Asymptomatic Patients With Severe AS

Aortic stenosis is the most common valvular disease in the Western world. It is caused by progressive narrowing of the aortic valve leading to increased strain on the heart muscle which has to work increasingly hard to pump blood through the narrowed valve. Over time the heart muscle thickens to generate more force, but eventually the heart fails leading to death if the valve is not replaced with an operation. No medical treatments exist to stop or reverse the heart valve narrowing. Current clinical guidelines suggest that an operation should be performed only when symptoms develop or the heart muscle is visibly weak on cardiac ultrasound scanning. However, symptoms can be difficult to interpret and in many patients the heart muscle has become irreversibly damaged and the heart fails to recover following surgery. Using MRI scans of the heart, the investigators have identified heart scarring which seems to develop as the heart muscle thickens. Several studies now show that people who have developed this scarring are more likely to suffer poor outcomes including death. The investigators have also identified clinical risks that predict the presence of scarring. The investigators propose a study where patients with severe aortic stenosis but no indications for valve replacement as per current guidelines are assessed for those clinical risks. If a participant's risk of having scarring is higher they will undergo a cardiac MRI scan. If scarring is present participants will be randomised to routine clinical care, or referral for valve replacement surgery. Participants with no evidence of scarring will be randomised routine care with study follow or not. The investigators of this study hypothesize that early surgery will lead to fewer complications and reduced risk of death compared to standard care.

Balloon- Versus Self-Expanding Intraannular TAVI in Small Aortic Annuli

In Europe TAVI is now recommended for treatment of aortic valve stenosis from the age of 70 years. When performing TAVI in young patients, lifetime management becomes important in terms of anticipated TAVI-in-TAVI procedures when valve deterioration occures. Especially small aortic annuli represent a special challenge in terms of postprocedural hemodynamics, however intra-annular transcatheter heart valve designs should be the devices of choice to facilitate future TAVI-in-TAVI procedures. Which intra-annular valve design offers ideal clinical and hemodynamic efficacy is unclear. Therefore, an investigator-initiated, randomized controlled trial (BALANCE trial: Balloon- vs. Self-expanding intraannular TAVI in small aortic annuli) was created to elucidate this topic.

Colchicine and Inflammation in Aortic Stenosis

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease in the developed world. Once symptomatic, untreated patients have a poor prognosis with five-year survival rate of 25%. Once at an advanced stage, AS will lead to the development of left ventricle hypertrophy, and eventually heart failure and death. At-present, there is no effective medical therapy for aortic stenosis. Current management of patients with AS consists of 'watchful waiting'. Valve replacement is needed when these patients (often acutely) become symptomatic. Recent studies have shown that inflammatory processes with similarities to atherosclerosis play an important role in AS. Therefore, we hypothesize that treatment with anti-inflammatory therapy, in the form of colchicine, could reduce the progression of AS. If positive, this trial will be the first to provide a potential therapeutic option for millions of people world-wide with AS.

CAPTURE-2: Controlled Arterial Protection to Ultimately Remove Embolic Material

The objective of this study is to demonstrate safety and efficacy of the EmStop Embolic Protection System when used as indicated to capture and remove thrombus/debris during self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures.

FIH Study of the GEMINUS TAVI System in Patients With Severe Symptomatic Aortic Stenosis

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the GEMINUS system in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. This is a prospective, open label, multicentre, single arm, first in human clinical study. Clinical follow up for all patients will be performed at 30 days, 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years post-implantation

Intravascular Lithotripsy in High Risk Calcified Iliac Anatomy for Transfemoral TAVR

To assess the efficacy and safety of Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) in subjects undergoing transfemoral TAVR in patients with severe iliac disease, prohibitive for transfemoral TAVR in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, otherwise considered for alternative access TAVR. (e.g. trans-carotid)

TAVIS Registry - Trilogy Heart Valve System for Management of Patients With Aortic Valve Disease

To collect information about the management of symptomatic severe Aortic Stenosis (AS) and Aortic Regurgitation (AR) using transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI).

Hydra Registry - UK

The study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using the Hydra transcatheter aortic heart valve (THV) series, in patients with severe aortic stenosis up to 1-year after the procedure. This will include an evaluation of the preservation of coronary access post implant by attempting to selectively engage both the right and left coronary arteries through standardised angiographic views. The study will also examine the utility of 72 hours of post discharge remote ambulatory continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring using the novel Checkpoint Cardio System where it is clinically appropriate.

Hydra Registry - Italy Experience

Hydra-IT is a multicenter observational study aim to collect clinical, procedural and follow-up data and evaluate the short, medium and long term results of Hydra TAVI System in patient with severe aortic stenosis.

LANDMARK Trial: a Randomised Controlled Trial of Myval THV

The primary objective of this study (LANDMARK) is to compare the safety and effectiveness of the Myval THV Series with Contemporary Valves (Sapien THV Series and Evolut THV Series) in patients with severe symptomatic native aortic valve stenosis. This study will be done in total 768 subjects (384:384, Myval THV Series vs. Contemporary Valves) The randomisation will be carried out with an allocation ratio of 1:1 between Myval THV Series vs. Contemporary Valves (Sapien THV Series and Evolut THV Series)