Clinical Research Directory

The Association Between Tau & GFAP and Postoperative Neurological Impairment in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Patients born with heart defects often undergo surgical procedures on a heart lung machine. With improvements in medical and surgical management, their survival has significantly improved, but their brain insult has not been paid much attention. This study is to determine the relationship between specific proteins in the blood and brain injury in patients less than 18-year-old undergoing heart surgery.

Aim 3: Pilot Study of a Serious Game to Promote Transition Readiness Skills

This study involves testing a new video game designed to support adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) in preparing to manage their health independently. The game aims to teach essential skills such as communicating with healthcare providers, understanding medical information, and managing appointments and medications. This small pilot study will evaluate the game's usability, acceptability, and its impact on participants' confidence and preparedness for managing their heart care. Feedback will be collected from adolescent participants, their parents, and healthcare providers, and the study will examine how the game influences communication during clinical visits.

Improving Patient and Family Health Using Family-Centered Outcomes and Shared Decision-Making

This study is a randomized clinical trial where participants (parents of a fetus or neonate diagnosed with a life-threatening congenital heart disease (CHD)) will randomly be assigned to either receiving a web-based decision aid (DA) alone, or receiving the decision aid that includes a values clarification exercise. Because of the novel use of decision aids in CHD in an acute setting, we will also compare participants receiving the DA in a randomized control trial to a prospective observational population of families faced with similar decisions without a DA (control group). We have designated the Brief Symptom Inventory Global Severity Index of Global Distress 3 months post-birth or death/termination as our primary outcome measure.

Nitric Oxide Effect on Brain and Kidney in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass

The goals of this study are: 1. To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of nitric oxide by measuring glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) before and after surgery. GFAP will be analyzed via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Patients will also be monitored post-operatively for delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU). 2. To evaluate the renal protective effect of nitric oxide by measuring neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) before and after surgery. NGAL will also be analyzed via an ELISA kit. Patient creatinine will be monitored post-operatively. 3. To evaluate effect of nitric oxide on other ICU outcomes (invasive mechanical ventilation, days to extubation, ICU and hospital length of stay, and blood product administration).

Cardiopediatric Home Monitoring Tool

We hypothesize that a home monitoring program combined with routine postoperative care significantly reduces morbidity and mortality after neonatal and pediatric cardiac surgery. This project differs from the previously published experiences by (a) providing an innovative telemedicine solution via the use of validated measurement sensors, (b) an alert system based on individualized standards, established for each care pathway, and (c) a protocolized response from medical teams in the management of alerts generated by the home monitoring tool.

Clinical Readiness Skin Punch Biopsy Sample Collections

This is a clinical readiness skin punch biopsy sample collection study. This will allow to reduce manufacturing time when patients are identified as eligible to receive product under separate interventional treatment protocol.

NIRS in Congenital Heart Defects - Correlation With Echocardiography

Neonatal patients with congenital heart defects (CHD) have changing physiology in the context of transitional period. Patients with CHD are at risk of low perfusion status or abnormal pulmonary blood flow. Near infrared spectroscopy has been used in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) to measure end-organ perfusion. The investigator plan on monitoring newborns with CHD admitted to the NICU with NIRS and echocardiography during the first week of life and correlate measures of perfusion from Dopplers to cerebral and renal NIRS.

Peer Coaching Intervention in Young Adults With Congenital Heart Disease

The purpose of the study is to evaluate a peer coaching intervention in young adults with congenital heart disease.

Swiss National Registry of Grown up Congenital Heart Disease Patients

Due to successes in the last decades in pediatric heart surgery and cardiology, 90-95% of the children with congenital heart disease reach adult age.This results in an increasing number of adults or "grown-ups" with congenital heart disease (ACHD or GUCH patients) that require special health care organization and training programmes. Long term complications of these GUCH patients and optimum treatment strategies are still poorly known. The aim of this registry is to collect quantitative and qualitative data regarding GUCH patients treated in specialised centres in Switzerland.

Automated Fetal Cardiac Function in Babies Affected by Heart Diseases

The goal of this international multicentre prospective observational cohort study with a nested case-control study is to test some automated fetal heart functional parameters in healthy babies compared to those affected by a congenital heart condition. The main questions it aims to answer are: * If there is a significant difference between the two populations of infants * Whether these parameters could significantly improve the predictive value of actual cardiovascular profile score to predict hydrops Participants will be offered two automated cardiac function assessments between 27+6 and 29+6 gestational weeks and between 34+6 and 36+6 weeks of gestation. Functional parameters will be compared between the two study groups and evaluated over time.