Clinical Research Directory

A Preliminary Study for INFORMED

Investigators will determine whether N-of-1 trials, as a pragmatic, participant-centered approach to medication optimization that can overcome key barriers of deprescribing, can lead to increased participant confidence regarding their preference to continue or discontinue beta-blockers in older adults with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF).

Randomization of Single vs Multiple Arterial Grafts

The primary hypothesis of ROMA is that in patients undergoing primary isolated non-emergent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), the use of two or more arterial grafts compared to a single arterial graft is associated with a reduction in the composite outcome of death from any cause, any stroke, post discharge myocardial infarction and/or repeat revascularization. The secondary hypothesis is that in patients undergoing primary isolated non-emergent CABG, the use of two or more arterial grafts compared to a single arterial graft is associated with improved survival. Prospective event-driven unblinded randomized multicenter trial of at least 4,300 subjects enrolled in at least 25 international centers. Patients will be randomized to a single arterial graft (SAG) or multiple arterial grafts (MAG). Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion between the two groups. Permuted block randomization with random blocks stratified by the center and the type of second arterial graft will be used to provide treatment distribution in equal proportion.

The Change Club Study: Evaluation of Civic Engagement for Built Environment Change and Health Improvement

This is a community randomized controlled trial to evaluate a civic engagement curriculum through which residents will identify barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and physical activity and then implement a project in their communities.

Investigation of the BrioVAD System for the Treatment of Left Ventricular Heart Failure

The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the BrioVAD System by demonstrating non-inferiority to the HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System when used for the treatment of advanced, refractory, left ventricular heart failure.

Testing VIRTUES Patient Care Sets in Cardiac Patients (VIRTUES Cardiac Care)

Patients with various cardiac conditions (such as those who experience a heart attack) are increasing in Canada and are in need of appropriate cardiac rehabilitation and care. Many patients do not have access to local in-person cardiac clinics, particularly in rural regions of Canada. A user-friendly digital application with accessible educational resources and recommendations based on the most up to date clinical practice guidelines can help mitigate these issues. VIRTUES is a digital healthcare application that targets 11 modifiable modules as follows: 1. antithrombotic management 2. lipid management 3. rate and rhythm control for atrial fibrillation 4. heart failure care 5. post myocardial infarction care 6. blood sugar management 7. blood pressure management 8. physical activity 9. healthy eating 10. smoking cessation 11. alcohol reduction Of the 11 total modules, the first 7 listed provide recommendations in VIRTUES. The remaining 4 (physical activity, healthy eating, smoking cessation and alcohol reduction) consist of simple referrals to existing recommendations (i.e., for healthy eating and physical exercise) and referrals to existing local programs (i.e., for smoking cessation and alcohol reduction). Thus, in this cohort study, the investigators will test the primary 7 modules with 200 patients per module for approximately one month each in order to obtain feedback on the usability of each module. The investigators will also conduct virtual focus group discussions to obtain open ended feedback on the application. This study will provide valuable feedback, which will be used to improve and adapt the VIRTUES platform.

Transition to KPL-387 Monotherapy Dosing & Administration Study

The primary objective of this study is to characterize the efficacy and safety of dosing regimens used to transition from prior pericarditis therapies to KPL-387 monotherapy in participants with well-controlled recurrent pericarditis on standard therapies.

A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial to Investigate the Value of Coronary CT Angiography in the Understanding and Management of Coronary Calcium (The Optimal Trial)

The OPTIMAL randomized clinical trial has been designed to compare two imaging strategies and to test the hypothesis that a calcium modification strategy informed by coronary CT angiography (CCTA) will improve procedural efficiency and effectiveness compared with the current standard of care (IVUS-guided PCI) while achieving similar clinical outcomes in patients with hemodynamically significant calcified coronary artery disease.

SHADES Mechanistic Trial

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is common, deadly, and costly, and adults with insomnia represent a large group of people at elevated risk of developing CVD in the future. This clinical trial will determine if our updated insomnia treatment, called the SHADES intervention, improves CVD factors thought to explain how insomnia promotes CVD and if these improvements are due to positive changes in sleep factors. A total of 200 primary care patients with insomnia and CVD risk factors will be randomized to 6 months of the SHADES intervention (internet, telephonic, and/or face-to-face cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia) or the active control condition (sleep education/hygiene, symptom monitoring, and primary care for insomnia). Before and after treatment, participants will complete measurements of the CVD factors (systemic inflammation, autonomic dysfunction, metabolic dysregulation, proinflammatory gene expression) and the sleep factors (insomnia symptoms, sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency). Researchers will test whether the SHADES intervention produces greater improvements in the CVD factors than the active control condition.

VWCR to Improve Cardiovascular Health and Outcomes Among Cardiac Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial Protocol (Destination Cardiac Rehab Study)

The purpose of this research is to compare health outcomes and participation between a virtual world cardiac rehabilitation (Destination Cardiac Rehab) program and the standard of care Center-based Cardiac Rehabilitation program. Destination Cardiac Rehab, developed with input from patients with heart disease and their caregivers, is a 3-D, interactive program offering an affordable telehealth option for cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) that can be done from home or any place that you can access the Internet with a computer.

Acoramidis Transthyretin Amyloidosis Prevention Trial in the Young (ACT-EARLY) Study in Asymptomatic Carriers of a Pathogenic TTR Variant

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a disease where the normally occurring transthyretin (TTR) protein falls apart and forms amyloid, a sticky plaque-like substance that accumulates in different organs in the body and can cause damage to the organ. There are two ways that the TTR protein can fall apart. One way occurs as a person ages, where the normal TTR protein can fall apart and form amyloid that may no longer be sufficiently cleared by the body. This type of ATTR is known as wild-type ATTR (ATTRwt). The other way occurs when a person inherits a defective TTR gene that causes the TTR protein to spontaneously fall apart. This form of the disease is known as variant ATTR (ATTRv) and can be detected in adults by a genetic test of their TTR gene before they age. Amyloid build-up in the heart causes the heart wall to become thick and stiff and can result in heart failure and even death. Accumulation of TTR amyloid in the heart is known as transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy or ATTR-CM. Amyloid can also deposit in the nerve tissues leading to nerve problems. Accumulation of TTR in the nerves is known as transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy or ATTR-PN. Acoramidis is an experimental drug designed to bind tightly to TTR in the blood and stabilize its structure, so it does not form the harmful amyloid plaques that can cause damage to organs. This study is intended to determine if treatment with acoramidis in participants with ATTRv who have not yet developed any symptoms of disease can prevent or delay the development of ATTR-CM or ATTR-PN disease. If adults with an inherited defective TTR gene are treated early before any of the symptoms of disease have developed, it may be possible to delay the onset or prevent the disease entirely.

Evaluation of an AI-Based Lightweight ECG Telemetry Monitoring System

This study aims to evaluate the clinical applicability of the AI-based lightweight ECG monitoring system (MEMO Patch Plus) as a telemetry ECG monitoring system in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Participants will wear the MEMO Patch Plus for at least 48 hours and up to 168 hours after transfer from the intensive care unit to the general ward. The study will evaluate real-time ECG transmission, arrhythmia detection, device usability, and safety to generate preliminary evidence supporting future clinical studies.

N-of-1 for Beta-Blockers in Cardiac Amyloidosis

The study team will generate preliminary data on whether patients with cardiac amyloidosis feel better when their beta-blocker is stopped. To achieve this objective, 20 N-of-1 trials (on vs. off) will be conducted, and the study team will subsequently interview participants to better understand their outcomes. Each subject will participate in 2 periods lasting between up to 6 weeks each based on each patient's health profile. We will also engage stakeholders to understand the acceptability and feasibility of deprescribing N-of-1 trials. The N-of-1 trials will be iteratively refined in real-time based on feedback.

Safety and Clinical Performance of the Freesolve Resorbable Magnesium Scaffold (RMS) System in Subjects With Coronary Artery Lesions

The objective of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of the Freesolve resorbable magnesium scaffold (RMS) in the treatment of subjects with up to two de novo lesions in native coronary arteries compared to the Xience coronary drug-eluting stent (DES) system

Gauging Outcomes of Total Milk Ingestion on Lipid and gControl

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. The cardiovascular impact of milk consumption remains a matter of long-standing scientific debate. Current guidelines for Americans recommend three daily servings of fat-free or low-fat (1%) dairy over full-fat options due to concerns that saturated fat may increase cardiovascular risk. Yet, the literature does not consistently support non-fat dairy as superior to high-fat dairy for reducing cardiometabolic risk. Identifying the comparative health benefits of non-fat versus high-fat dairy milk would be immediately applicable to patients who seek cardiovascular care. In this randomized, case-crossover trial, the investigators seek to efficiently assess the association between high-fat versus non-fat dairy milk consumption and insulin resistance. Utilizing the Eureka Platform, participants will be randomized to limit their liquid milk consumption to whole milk followed by skim milk (or vice versa), measuring the effect of milk fat content on glycemic index and lipid profile.

Nurses' Health Study (Cardiovascular Component)

To determine the relationships of hormonal, reproductive, dietary, and lifestyle factors, as well as biochemical and genetic factors, with the subsequent risk of coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular events in a cohort of female registered nurses. The current funding cycle involves comprehensive metabolomic profiling of coronary heart disease cases and controls and development of metabolomic risk scores for coronary heart disease.

Smart Walk: A Culturally Tailored Smartphone-Delivered Physical Activity Intervention for African American Women

The purpose of this study is to test a culturally tailored, smartphone-delivered intervention designed to increase physical activity and reduce risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes among African American women.

Self Expanding Coronary Sinus Reducer for Treatment of Symptomatic Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction (CMD)

VahatiCor's Coronary Sinus Reducer (A-FLUX) has been designed to improve angina or angina-like symptoms in patients with CMD. SERRA-I is an early feasibility study that evaluates the safety and clinical performance of the A-FLUX Reducer in this population.

Health eHeart BioBank

The purpose of the Health eHeart BioBank is to collect and store specimen (e.g. blood, DNA, tissue) for future studies at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) that will help determine changes and identify molecular and genetic markers in the human body that might help increase our knowledge of heart disease and guide development of new diagnostic tools and treatments that may help rapidly detect heart disease and prevent and/or treat heart disease.

Real-world Study on Dapagliflozin Usage in Patients With Heart Failure (HF) in Germany

Heart failure (HF) is a global, public health issue that affects more than 63 million people worldwide; this burden is expected to increase substantially as the population ages. Despite advancements in treatment, a HF diagnosis still leads to significant morbidity and mortality; there is also an immense impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Dapagliflozin was recently granted approval for heart failure by the European Commission, regardless of ejection fraction and whether the patient has diabetes. Real-world observational data are necessary to describe dapagliflozin use in real-world settings in order to assess treatment patterns, HF symptoms and their impact on physical limitation, HRQoL and work productivity, as well as health care utilization of patients treated with dapagliflozin in this setting under local treatment standard conditions in Germany.

Abbott Structural Heart Device Registry

The Abbott Structural Heart (SH) Registry is being conducted to confirm the safety and performance of Abbott's SH devices in a post-market, real-world setting. The Registry primarily involves gathering data from routine hospital practices and standard-of-care (SOC) procedures administered to patients. All devices used in these procedures must be commercially available to the participating site. A list of specific devices covered by the Registry are available upon request from the Sponsor. Data generated by the Registry will be used to meet regulatory requirements, such as the European Union Medical Device Regulations 2017/745, that require active post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF) for all commercially available devices.

The Protein Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) as a Novel Biomarker for Cardiac Disease

To study the association between DISC1 RNA expression levels and cardiac function in patients with schizophrenia.

University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study

To continue surveillance of the participants in the University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study, which tests the hypothesis that hostility and related psychosocial factors are involved in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease.

TRIFORMIS RESILIA Real-world Study Assessing Safety and Performance (TRIBLAZE Study)

TRIBLAZE is a prospective, observational, single-arm, multicenter study designed to collect real-world clinical outcomes in a minimum of 75 participants who will receive the Edwards Lifesciences TRIFORMIS RESILIA surgical tricuspid heart valve, Model 11300T.

Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal Cohort Study (RURAL) Heart and Lung Study

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.