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Congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs when the heart is weak and not able to effectively pump blood to the body. One of the common manifestations of CHF is fluid overload and swelling of the legs. Diuretics or "water pills" are usually the treatment for fluid overload and leg swelling; however, in some patients' diuretics are no longer effective or the effectiveness is limited due to poor kidney function. The presence of chronic swelling of the legs could potentially damage the veins; additionally, it could lead to chronic skin changes in the legs and in the worst cases to a leg ulcer. Compression stockings are used in patients with venous diseases to reduce the swelling of the legs and improve mobility and quality of life. Although, there is a theoretical risk that compression stockings might push the fluid of the legs back to the heart and lungs worsening the CHF. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of knee-high tight socks (tight stockings with strong compression) vs. knee-high soft socks (soft stockings with minimum compression) are effective in preventing swelling and skin changes and safe in patients with CHF. During the first visit (in-person) a routine medical test will be performed including blood tests, review of the medication doses, current weight, an ultrasound images of the veins, (venous reflux ultrasound), questions about health status and a brief physical exam. The participants will be randomly assigned to receive tight compression vs. soft compression socks. Participants will be asked to wear the socks at least 8 hours a day for 5 days a week. There will be a total of 3 virtual visit (by video or telephone); the first one after one week, then after one month and two months. During the virtual visit participants will be asked about symptoms, current medications and doses, and current weight. The participants are expected to return to the clinic after 3 months for a second in-person visit. During this visit the investigators will ask questions about participant's health, they will perform a brief physical exam of their legs, and check participants weight and medicines; also, a venous ultrasound of the legs, questions about health status will be performed. The duration of the study is 3 months.
The DART-HA study is a single-center, open label, trial intended to evaluate the clinical efficacy of standard treatment options for congestive heart failure (observation, diuretic or afterload reduction therapy) in patients without new symptoms who have developed abnormalities of the HeartLogic heart failure diagnostic feature.
The overall hypothesis of this study is that subtle interactions between structural (substrate) and functional (trigger) abnormalities of the heart, some of which are genetically-determined, can be used to identify patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Such information may be used to better define patients most likely to benefit from replacement of an internal defibrillator (ICD). The prospective, observational study to enroll, categorize and follow patients who receive an ICD pulse generator replacement for primary prevention of SCD (PROSe-ICD) was established to : 1. to gain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms that predispose to SCD 2. to develop readily determined clinical, electrocardiographic, genetic and blood protein markers identify patients with an increased risk of dying suddenly
The metabolism of the heart provides the chemical energy needed to fuel ongoing normal heart contraction. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a technique used in a MRI scanner that can be used to measure and study heart metabolism directly but without blood sampling or obtaining tissue biopsies. One of the hypotheses this study aims to investigate is whether energy metabolism is reduced in heart failure and whether that contributes to the poor heart function.
Aortix is a circulatory support device for chronic heart failure patients on medical management who have been hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and have persistent congestion despite usual medical therapy. Eligible ADHF patients with diuretic resistance (irrespective of ejection fraction) will be enrolled and randomized 1:1 to either the Aortix system or standard of care medical management.
Heart failure (HF) remains one of the most common causes of hospitalization with high morbidity and mortality, and its worldwide prevalence is increasing. Despite notable progress in outcomes for HF the rate of early rehospitalization for HF (re-HHF) remains high, especially in the first 30 days. The rate of 30-day HF rehospitalization in the claims databases of the USA and in worldwide randomized clinical trials is 20-25% and 5-10% respectively. In patients with bilateral leg edema, the presence of CHF (congestive heart failure) as the factor causing or worsening local leg swelling should be evaluated. Application of local leg compression can be considered in stable CHF patients without decompensated heart function (NYHA Class I and II) for both CHF-related edema treatment and for treatment of concomitant diseases leading to leg swelling occurrence. Current literature does not have recommendations on the routine use of lower limb compression in leg swelling related to end stage heart disease and advanced, decompensated heart failure. Potential benefits of applying medical compression in more severe classes of CHF (NYHA Class III and IV) would need to be evaluated by further randomized clinical studies to determine which cohort of patients would benefit most from lower limb compression, as well as to choose the safest and most efficient compression protocol for these patients. The AIM of this study is to improve the clinical outcome of patients admitted with exacerbation of heart failure with associated volume overload. The primary objectives are: 1) diminish the duration of hospitalization of CHF patients; 2) decrease the incidence of rehospitalization from CHF exacerbation and 3) prevent local complications associated with prolonged lower extremity edema. The investigators hypothesize that the application of local compression to bilateral lower extremities, when added to guideline-based therapy for CHF exacerbation, will improve overall clinical outcome in patients at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). If our intervention is proven to be beneficial, it could lead to a significant reduction in nationwide hospitalization costs associated with heart failure.