Clinical Research Directory

iCorMicA - Stratified Medicine in Angina

The iCorMicA study is a multicentre, prospective, randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled, parallel-group, end-point trial and registry. The investigators seek to determine whether stratified medical therapy guided by an adjunctive interventional diagnostic procedure (IDP) during the invasive management of patients with known or suspected angina but no obstructive coronary artery disease improves symptoms, wellbeing, cardiovascular risk and clinical outcomes.

A CCTA Imaging Trial to Evaluate the Effect of Obicetrapib/Ezetimibe on Coronary Plaque

This placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, Phase 3 study is being conducted in adult participants with high-risk atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who are not adequately controlled by their maximally tolerated lipid-modifying therapy, to assess the impact of the obicetrapib 10 mg + ezetimibe 10 mg FDC daily on coronary plaque and inflammation characteristics, evaluated using cardiovascular computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

TECTONIC CAD IVL IDE Study

A prospective, single-arm, open-label, multi-center IDE study with up to 55 US sites

A Phase 2b Clinical Trial of YN001 in Adults With Coronary Atherosclerosis

This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenously administered YN001 in patients diagnosed with coronary atherosclerosis, who are receiving background therapy for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors management.

Modification of Coronary Calcium With Laser Based Intravascular Lithotripsy for Coronary Artery Disease (FRACTURE)

The FRACTURE Trial is a prospective, non-randomized, single-arm, multicenter, interventional study in US and international centers.

COronoary Microcirculation Analysis NETwork

COMA.NET (Coronary Microcirculation Analysis Network) is a prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group clinical trial designed to determine whether endotype-guided pharmacotherapy is superior to standard care in improving quality of life in patients with ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries. Approximately 180-190 participants with objective ischemia will be randomized to either the control or the intervention group. Pharmacotherapy based on the endotype established during intracoronary assessment will be introduced in the intervention arm of the study. The primary endpoint is the change in the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) score from baseline to 3 months. Secondary endpoints include the diagnostic accuracy of transthoracic echocardiographic coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), the incidence of adverse events, associations between biomarkers and coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), and the identification of risk factors for specific CMD endotypes. Participants will undergo invasive functional evaluation of the coronary microcirculation, measurement of echocardiographic CFVR, and analysis of selected circulating biomarkers. The study cohort will be followed up at three and six months and will include reassessment of quality of life (Seattle Angina Questionnaire, EuroQol 5-Dimensions 5-Level questionnaire, 12-item Short Form Health Survey), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score), and functional status (6-minute walk test). The study began in October 2025. Primary completion is anticipated in October 2027, and the overall study completion date is expected in March 2028.

Objective Risk Assessment in Patients With Possible Anginal Chest Pain Using Leading Technology

The ORACLE study is an observational cohort study designed to explore the feasibility of providing an assessment of chest pain for patients with suspected angina within one working day of referral to specialist services. The primary objective is to determine the feasibility of delivering an objective assessment of risk for participants who have been referred by their primary care provider to the rapid access chest pain clinic with possible angina in a community setting using point of care and patient facing technologies within one working day of referral. Participants will complete a digital health questionnaire, at home, that asks about their risk factors for coronary artery disease, past medical history and their symptoms. Patients will then have a standard 12 lead ECG and perform their own personal ECG. They will then have high sensitivity cardiac troponin measured by point of care high sensitivity cardiac troponin assays as well as a core lab assay. The results of all of the above will allow patients to be started as low, intermediate or high risk for future cardiovascular events.

Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Supported by Cangrelor

The purpose of this study is to find out whether it is safe and practical to perform MIDCAB surgery (a minimally invasive heart bypass procedure) while patients receive a continuous cangrelor infusion during the operation. Cangrelor is a medicine that helps prevent blood clots and works quickly through a vein drip. The study compares patients receiving cangrelor during surgery to patients who had the same surgery in the past while on aspirin, with or without cangrelor given beforehand. Study Question: Can MIDCAB surgery be safely performed under cangrelor infusion, without increasing the risk of bleeding or other complications? Hypothesis: Using cangrelor during MIDCAB surgery is safe and feasible, and it provides effective protection against blood clots during the procedure. This study will help doctors understand whether intraoperative cangrelor can improve patient safety and outcomes in minimally invasive heart surgery.

CRIC Combined With MFT for Cardiovascular Adverse Events in Patients With Incomplete Revascularization of CAD

The main objective of this study is to demonstrate whether the combination of chronic remote ischemic conditioning and mindfulness therapy can reduce cardiovascular adverse events in patients with incomplete revascularization of coronary artery disease.

Liquid Biopsy System Intracoronary Blood Sampling and Analysis to Characterise Disease Biomarkers in Patients With Coronary Disease

The aim of this research, proposed and funded by PlaqueTec and co-ordinated by Papworth Trials Unit Collaboration, is to demonstrate the performance of the coronary artery blood sampling device (Liquid Biospy System, LBS) and establish its usefulness to collect a range of disease biomolecules from the coronary artery of interest. Using the data generated from extensive analysis of the blood samples, key biomarker data will be generated that will close a knowledge gap and facilitate the development of tailored treatments for coronary artery disease.

Ultrastructural Characteristics of Mitochondria in Cardiomyocytes in Heart Failure

According to modern concepts, mitochondrial dysfunction may be the fundamental basis for the development and progression of CHF, including in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization. The processes of mitochondrial fusion, division and mitophagy are aimed at maintaining cellular homeostasis. A change in the balance of these processes can lead to the accumulation of damaged organelles with impaired functions. In patients with CHF, dysfunctional mitochondria are characterized by size dispersion, crist disorganization, and localization changes relative to myofibrils. At the same time, the topic of the influence of mitochondrial dysfunction on the prognosis and clinical course of CHF remains debatable today. Direct study of the structural and functional features of mitochondria in human cardiomyocytes is an extremely difficult task, and therefore, such studies are carried out extremely rarely and on very limited cohorts. In the planned study, due to the long time of the study material recruitment, the ultrastructure of mitochondria in a large cohort of patients, ranging from 45 to 60 people, will be studied. The aim of this study is to study the association of mitochondrial dysfunction with the clinical course and outcomes of CHF of ischemic etiology, as well as to assess the degree of compliance of indirect criteria of mitochondrial dysfunction with direct ultrastructural characteristics of mitochondria in cardiomyocytes. This single-center prospective cohort study will involve 45-60 patients. The patients will have biopsy samples taken from the right auricle, as well as blood collection and preservation and its derivatives. Electron microscopy of myocardial samples will be performed to assess the ultrastructure of mitochondria of cardiomyocytes. The results of a direct study of mitochondria will be compared with indirect signs of mitochondrial dysfunction: the registration of the phenomenon of increased leaching of radiopharmaceuticals from the myocardium, an increase in the number of copies of mitochondrial DNA and the concentration of cytochrome C in the blood, the affiliation of mitochondrial DNA to haplogroup K. The results obtained in each of the research tasks will have high scientific significance and publication potential.

Cardiovascular Acoustics for Early Disease Detection

There are many types of heart disease. Two of the most common causes are narrowings within the blood vessels that supply the heart (known as coronary artery disease), or valves within the heart becoming narrowed (stenosed) or leaky (regurgitation), known as heart valve disease. There are two main types of imaging used to test for these conditions. Coronary artery disease can be diagnosed by taking X-ray pictures of a dye when injected into the blood vessels. In some cases the dye is injected into the veins and a CT scanner is used (CT coronary angiography), in others the dye is injected via a tube placed in the artery (invasive coronary angiography). Valvular heart disease is normally diagnosed using an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart). In this study the investigators are looking for subtle changes in the sounds that come from the heart, which may allow heart disease to be detected earlier. The investigators are using a novel device, similar to a digital stethoscope, that has excellent sensitivity for heart sounds. Ultimately this may be used in community settings including GP surgeries, in this study the investigators are collecting sounds from patients undergoing routine scans as part of their workup for heart disease.

Comparison of a Contemporary Sirolimus-eluting Stent (ihtDEStiny®) With Another Everolimus-eluting Stent (Xience™), Both With Permanent Polymers, in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome and de Novo Coronary Artery Lesions

To evaluate the efficacy of the two DES (Drug Eluting Stent) used in terms of device-related adverse events at 12 months after PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention). To compare the clinical safety and efficacy by comparing net clinical events (defined as the combination of ischemic and hemorrhagic events) of the two DES used at 12 months after PCI.

Comparison of the Outcomes of Single vs Multiple Arterial Grafts in Women

The central hypothesis of ROMA:Women is that the use of multiple arterial grafting (MAG) will improve clinical outcomes and quality of life (QOL) compared to single arterial grafting (SAG). The specific aims of ROMA:Women are: Aim 1: Determine the impact of MAG vs SAG on major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events in women undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The investigators will compare major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (death, stroke, non-procedural myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and hospital readmission for acute coronary syndrome or heart failure) in a cohort of 2,300 women randomized 1:1 to MAG or SAG. Differences by important clinical and surgical subgroups (patients younger or older than 70 years, diabetics, racial and ethnic minorities, on vs off pump CABG, type of arterial grafts used) will also be evaluated. The women enrolled in the ongoing ROMA trial (anticipated to be approximately 690) will be included in ROMA:Women, increasing efficiency and reducing enrollment time. Hypothesis 1.0. MAG will reduce the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events. Hypothesis 1.1. The improvement with MAG will be consistent across key subgroups. Aim 2: Determine the impact of MAG vs SAG on generic and disease-specific QOL, physical and mental health symptoms in women undergoing CABG. The investigators will compare generic (SF-12, EQ-5D) and disease-specific (Seattle Angina Questionnaire) QOL and physical and mental health symptoms (PROMIS-29) in a sub-cohort of 500 women randomized 1:1 to MAG or SAG (including those enrolled in ROMA:QOL). Differences by important subgroups (as defined above) will also be evaluated. Hypothesis 2.0. MAG will improve generic and disease-specific QOL compared to SAG. Hypothesis 2.1. MAG will improve physical and mental health symptoms compared to SAG. Hypothesis 2.2. The improvement with MAG will be consistent across key subgroups.

CABG-AI-Supported Discharge Education

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of artificial intelligence-supported individualized discharge education for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Participants will be assigned to either the intervention group, which will receive personalized AI-generated discharge education delivered through a nurse-avatar video in addition to standard verbal education, or the control group, which will receive standard discharge education only. The study will compare postoperative pain, anxiety, physiological stress response, recovery, and satisfaction with discharge education between the two groups. Outcomes will be measured during hospitalization and at the routine postoperative follow-up visit. The findings may help improve patient education methods and postoperative recovery in cardiac surgery patients.

Safety and Effectiveness of the Orsiro Mission 48-mm Sirolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System in Subjects With Coronary Artery Lesions

The purpose of the study is to assess the safety and efficacy of the Orsiro® Mission 48- mm Sirolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System in the treatment of subjects with atherosclerotic lesion(s) \>36 mm and ≤ 44 mm in length (by visual estimate) in the native coronary arteries with a reference vessel diameter of 2.25 mm to 4.0 mm. Patients enrolled in the United States will be followed for 2 years post index procedure with follow-up visits at 1, 6, 12 months and 2 years post index procedure. Patients enrolled outside of the United States will be followed through 5 years post index procedure with additional follow-up visits at 3 and 5 years post index procedure.

TIMELY-PrädiktoR Prospective Study

Brief Summary: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multi-factorial intervention, designed to limit the physiological and psychological effects of cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery disease (CAD), manage symptoms, and reduce the risk of future cardiovascular events. CR is a structured program not only addressing CAD but also comorbidities including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and obesity as well as other risk factors. CR aims at long-term lifestyle changes to reduce modifiable risk factors, and it's success depends on a large number of interacting variables including biological, psychological and social factors. Recently, the importance of patient-centered approaches to secondary prevention and CR success has been underlined but intra-individual factors and their interactions are not well understood. The TIMELY prospective study aims to collect high-resolution data for data mining and artificial intelligence machine learning models to identify dependencies between factors and predict favorable outcomes of CR. Data collection will include data documented during controlled center-based CR as well as remote-measurement of physical activity data, (central) blood pressure and pulse wave analysis as well as long-term ECG data during a 6-months period after discharge. Follow-up assessments will be performed at least at 6 months and at 12 months after discharge. Events (MACCE) will be collected for up to 10 years. After 2023, the study will be run under the acronym PrädiktoR. Main objectives of the study: 1. To examine uptake and adherence to a healthy lifestyle (i. e. adherence to CR guidelines in CAD) and the effects on long-term outcomes. 2. To identify potentially mediating mechanisms and predictive factors for long-term CR success in CAD, also to be used in machine learning models and for the generation of digital twins. 3. To investigate acceptance of different eHealth components as well as expectations and needs among CAD patents in CR.

MiECC Versus Conventional Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Cardiac Surgery (MiECS)

MiECS is one of the largest multicentre randomised controlled trials on extracorporeal circulation conducted under the auspices of Minimal Invasive Extracorporeal Technologies International Society (MiECTiS). It is designed to ultimately address the emerging effectiveness of MiECC systems in the light of modern perfusion practice worldwide. The primary hypothesis is that MiECC, as compared to conventional CPB (cCPB), reduces the proportion of patients experiencing serious perfusion-related postoperative morbidity after cardiac surgery. The study will be led by the Clinical Research Unit of the Special Unit for Biomedical Research and Education (SUBRE), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine in Greece (AUSoM) with Chief Investigator Professor Kyriakos Anastasiadis, who is a key-opinion-leader in the field of MiECC, founder and Executive Board of MiECTiS.

Tailored Versus Coventional AntiPlaTelet Strategy Intended After OPTIMIZEd Drug Eluting Stent

Objectives: To assess the safety of tailored antiplatelet therapy (short DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibitor alone strategy) in patients who received optimized DES implantation guided by intravascular imaging (IVUS or OCT) Hypothesis: Tailored antiplatelet strategy (short DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibitor alone) is superior to conventional antiplatelet strategy in terms of clinically relevant bleeding and noninferior for ischemic composite adverse events in patients who received intravascular imaging-guided optimized DES implantation. (Optimized stent evaluated by on-site IVUS/OCT could act as an essential criterion for decision making for tailored antithrombotic strategy)

Product Surveillance Registry

The purpose of the Registry is to provide continuing evaluation and periodic reporting of safety and effectiveness of Medtronic market-released products. The Registry data is intended to benefit and support interests of patients, hospitals, clinicians, regulatory bodies, payers, and industry by streamlining the clinical surveillance process and facilitating leading edge performance assessment via the least burdensome approach.

OPTIA-AF Trial: Rhythm-Guided Antithrombotic Strategy After AF Ablation

The OPTIA-AF trial is a prospective, multicenter randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate a rhythm-guided antithrombotic strategy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who maintain durable sinus rhythm after catheter ablation and have a history of prior drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Current guidelines generally recommend long-term oral anticoagulation (OAC) in patients with AF, even after successful ablation, while antiplatelet therapy remains essential for prevention of coronary ischemic events following percutaneous coronary intervention. OPTIA-AF tests whether discontinuation of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) therapy with transition to single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) is non-inferior to continued NOAC therapy in patients who maintain sinus rhythm for at least 12 months after AF ablation. Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either continued NOAC therapy or NOAC discontinuation with SAPT. The primary endpoint is a 24-month composite net clinical outcome including ischemic stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction, definite or probable stent thrombosis, cardiovascular death, and major bleeding.

Optimization of Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Liberal Use of Intracoronary Imaging Versus Contemporary Practice

Coronary artery disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide and is commonly treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Typically, PCI is guided by invasive coronary angiography (ICA). However, ICA has inherent limitations in accurately assessing vessel dimensions, calcium burden, circumferential tissue and whether a stent has achieved full expansion. Therefore ICA alone is insufficient for guiding stent optimization, especially in complex lesions which are most vulnerable to long-term stent failure. To overcome the limitations of ICA, intracoronary imaging can be used to guide and optimize PCI. The advantages of intracoronary imaging include obtaining larger lumen areas, better stent expansion and strut apposition, full lesion stent coverage and identifying stent complications. Multiple randomized studies have shown that these advantages translate into a reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in complex PCI. Consequently, the recommendation for intracoronary imaging has been upgraded in the most recent guidelines. Despite robust evidence supporting its benefits, intracoronary imaging remains relatively underused in real-world practice and in the Netherlands it is only used in 7% of complex PCI procedures. This underutilization may be attributed to several factors, including operator and hospital-dependent issues such as lack of experience, reluctance to spend additional time on intracoronary imaging and concerns about its cost-effectiveness. Therefore, initiating an implementation project to incorporate intracoronary imaging into routine use in the catheterization lab during complex PCI would be highly valuable. Such a project could make imaging-guided PCI the standard of care in complex PCI. Additionally, it could evaluate the cost-effectiveness of routine intracoronary imaging during complex PCI. For this reason we designed the OPTIMIZE-PCI II, a national registry-based quality improvement project. This project is aimed at implementing a liberal intracoronary imaging-guided strategy for complex PCI across multiple centres in the Netherlands, with data extraction from the Netherlands Heart Registration (NHR) database. The objective of the OPTIMIZE-PCI II is to establish a routine use of intracoronary imaging in complex PCI, to determine if this approach reduces adverse cardiac events in real-world practice, and evaluate its cost-effectiveness.

Coronary Flow During Rapid Heart Rates

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the factors which determine how well ventricular tachycardia (VT) is tolerated. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. What impact does coronary artery disease have on the ability for a patient to tolerate VT? 2. Does treatment of coronary artery disease with stents improve the tolerability of VT? Participants who are undergoing a clinically indicated coronary angiogram or coronary angioplasty procedure will have measurements of blood pressure, coronary pressure and coronary flow made during pacing at a range of heart rates.

Cardiac Rehabilitation and Coronary Artery Disease

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) aged 40-70 years will undergo exercise training (thrice weekly for 12 weeks). A reference group composed of healthy individuals will be included. Evaluations will be conducted at baseline and after the intervention period during two visits. During the first visit, carotid artery thickness will be assessed via ultrasound before and after a cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The second visit will include the evaluation of endothelial function using venous occlusion plethysmography. After this, participants will engage in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and blood samples will be collected pre- and post-exercise. Circulating levels of kynurenine pathway (KP) metabolites (Tryptophan, kynurenine, kynurenic acid, and quinolinic acid), pro-inflammatory cytokines, cell adhesion molecules, and lipid profiles will be measured via Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), multiplex essays, and biochemical analysis; respectively.