47 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
We are examining the use of restricted blood flow, through full occlusion, on a single thigh for 50 minutes (5 minutes on, 5 minutes off), completed every other day for 2 weeks to improve function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and low back pain.
A heart attack occurs when blood flow is disrupted to the heart and is related to both the blockage and flow restoration (reperfusion injury). An occlusion during a heart attack can be cleared (mostly via stents), but there are no methods to decrease reperfusion injury even though animal studies have found that "preconditioning" has powerful protective effects. Through the observation of Jewish men wearing tefillin the investigators have discovered a method of bringing preconditioning to patients at risk for heart attacks. This study will focus on women as the majority of people who wear tefillin (and have been studied) are men.
The use of imaging is increasing in clinical practice, either for diagnosis or intervention. In these imaging processes, contrast medium (CM) is widely used. However, CM administration can induce contrast-induced nephropathy (CI-AKI). CI-AKI is the third most common cause of renal insufficiency, and its incidence varies from 2% to 50% depending on patient risk factors; in addition, studies have shown that CI-AKI occurs in 2% to 25% of patients undergoing coronary intervention. CI-AKI is associated with significant mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing coronary angiography or other diagnostic contrast studies. We assessed the latest promising evidence on the ability of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) to reduce the incidence of CI-AKI in patients undergoing Coronary Angiogram (CA) or diagnostic contrast studies such as CT angiogram, while at the same time being a non-invasive, low cost, easy, and safe method with absence of adverse effects. However, more randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these preliminary results. The aim of this study is to minimize the incidence of CI-AKI at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). If found to be an effective method, RIPC would help minimize the incidence of CI-AKI in all institutions across the globe, who would adopt this intervention. The primary objective: i) reduce the rise in creatinine to \< 0.5 mg/dL post-CA in moderate to high risk patients and ii) reduce the incidence of renal replacement therapy post-CA in moderate to high risk patients; iii) we also aim to establish that RIPC is safe and effective. We hypothesize that the use of RIPC, when added to standard medical therapy (pre-and post-CA hydration), will mitigate the effects of contrast on the renal vasculature and lessen the incidence of CI-AKI in moderate to high risk patients at the University of Texas Medical Branch. The use of iodinated contrast to visually enhance target vasculature is a widely used diagnostic technique that is performed daily at UTMB, and around the world, for the diagnosis and management of a variety of conditions. A common complication of this procedure is acute kidney injury (AKI), generally referred to as contrast-induced nephropathy (CI-AKI). This complication can range from an isolated rise in serum creatinine to severe renal dysfunction necessitating renal replacement therapy. The incidence of CI-AKI has been reported as approximately 2-50%, depending upon the definition and sensitivity of assay employed to assess GFR in the hospital setting. In addition, CI-AKI is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. If proven to be beneficial, RIPC will bring about a reduction in incidence of CI-AKI, and thus help to reduce hospitalization and mortality from renal etiology following a given contrast procedure.
This is a prospective, double-blind, sham-controlled, multicenter, randomized clinical trial is to study the effects of remote ischemic preconditioning on contrast-associated acute kidney injury, functional capacity, and major adverse kidney events in in patients with congestive heart failure undergoing cardiac catheterization and/or percutaneous coronary intervention.
This project will examine the efficacy of a simple, cost-effective, non-invasive intervention, called remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC), to reduce frailty in pre-surgical, frail, elderly patients with colon cancer. The investigators hypothesize that RIPC will reduce frailty in the pre-surgical period (as assessed by distance walked during the 6-minute walk test), improve functional capacity 4-weeks postoperatively, and reduce intraoperative blood pressure variability. If successful, future studies will examine the efficacy of RIPC to improve surgical outcomes in frail cancer patients.
The purpose of this study is to learn about protecting the brain from low blood flow (ischemia) with limb preconditioning. From human studies the investigators know that the brain can be protected from dangerous low blood flow by reducing the blood flow to an arm or leg for just a short period of time. This is called limb preconditioning. The investigators are studying the safety and feasibility of preconditioning and their effect of protecting the brain from ischemia in two different groups. This is a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, design. Up to 50 male and female patients undergoing elective endovascular repair of unruptured brain aneurysm who are randomized to the remote ischemic preconditioned or sham group will be enrolled. This study consists of one 3-9 month study period for each patient plus up to 14 days for enrollment activities. Subjects are required to return between 3-9 months for end-of-study procedures.
This study proposes ischemic preconditioning (IPC) as a novel intervention to improve walking distance in patients with intermittent claudication.
Severe aortic stenosis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality of the elderly affecting approximately 3% of elderly patients with an increasing number of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve interventions. As part of pre-procedural planning these patients undergo CT scans and receive contrast during the procedure. These patients often have baseline renal insufficiency and are high risk of contrast induced nephropathy despite pre-hydration techniques. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of this simple and safe procedure in preventing renal injury in this particular population.
Remote ischemic preconditioning is a process of serial blood pressure cuff inflations and deflations that are performed prior to a procedure and have been shown in various other areas (coronary bypass surgery, vascular surgery, ST elevation myocardial infarctions) to decrease the rates of adverse events related to ischemic burden and renal injury. This procedure has not yet been studied in the population presenting with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), even though ACS patients represent the majority of patients seen in the catheterization lab. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of this simple and safe procedure in this particular population.
In this study, patients undergoing live donor kidney transplantation will be allocated to the control group or remote ischemic preconditioning group (RIPC). RIPC is the utilization of short periods of ischemia to provide protection of the myocardium or other organ (i.e. kidney) from a subsequent ischemic event. Before allograft implantation, RIPC will be accomplished in the treatment group donor and control group donor by inducing intermittent extremity ischemia through intermittent inflation of an extremity tourniquet three times for five-minute intervals with five minutes of deflation between inflation periods. The monitored clinical end points will include total urine output following kidney reperfusion over five days, plasma creatinine declination over five days, initiation of dialysis, and development of graft injury. Magnitude of graft injury is the primary endpoint and will be measured using biochemical markers, such as, plasma and urinary concentration of neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1). The sample size calculation is based on a projected difference of NGAL levels between the two study arms. Hall et al reported a mean NGAL level of 49 mg/mL (SD = 37 mg/mL) for a group of patients that had immediate graph function and a mean NGAL level of 248 mg/mL in a group of patients with slow graft function. (which Hall reference is this) Based on these data, a conservative estimate of a mean difference between study groups will be considered 35 mg/mL NGAL. Using these assumptions, an alpha level of 0.05 and 80% power, a sample size of n= 19 per study group will be calculated. By rejecting our null hypothesis, RIPC may serve as a safe, cost-effective protective strategy to prevent allograft injury in the clinical setting of live donor kidney transplantation.
This study will be the first study to use ischemic preconditioning (IPC) as an intervention to improve stroke rehabilitation. IPC is a well studied, well tolerated intervention which has been shown to improve regional blood flow, motor neuron excitability and muscle function in multiple patient groups and in young, healthy subjects. Because IPC targets three physiological systems which are all affected by stroke, we hypothesize that repeated bouts of IPC during the first days to months following stroke (when the majority of recovery occurs) will make traditional rehabilitation strategies more effective.
This is a randomized controlled trial designed to test an intervention (Remote ischemic preconditioning) in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for carotid artery stenosis (CAS). The outcomes of interest include neurocognitive function, cardiac complications, and biomarkers of brain ischemia.
Contrast-medium induced nephropathy (CIN) is a frequent and devastating complication of coronary angiography, occurring in 10-50% of cases. As would be expected, the incidence of CIN is much higher in patients with underlying renal dysfunction. Multiple trials have found CIN to be an independent predictor of prolonged hospitalization and both 30 day and 1 year mortality in patients with coronary artery disease. Intravenous contrast dye is felt to cause renal ischemia as the mechanism of injury. Unfortunately, despite the significant morbidity and mortality with CIN, there are few therapeutic interventions to reduce the risk with the exception of hydration and high dose statin therapy. Recently, remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC), a process of inducing transient arm ischemia by inflating a blood pressure cuff to 200 mmHg for 3 repetitive 5 minute cycles, leads to a systemic cytoprotective response and ultimately reduces ischemic renal injury, myocardial injury, and even cerebral injury following coronary bypass grafting. While there is significant data supporting the role of RIPC in reducing systemic ischemic injury in surgical patients, there is only one small trial studying RIPC in patient's undergoing coronary angiography. The investigators hypothesize that RIPC will reduce the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with baseline renal dysfunction undergoing coronary angiography for stable or unstable coronary artery disease.
The purpose of the study is to investigate if briefly stopping blood flow to the patient's leg will lead to the patient's body being better able to tolerate possible decreased blood flow to regions of the brain which otherwise frequently happens after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Previous studies show that various organs such as the heart, brain or kidney can tolerate longer periods of decreased blood flow if prior to that insult shorter periods of decreased blood flow were experienced.
The purpose of this study is to learn about the impact of ischemic preconditioning in reducing contrast induced kidney damage in people with pre-existing kidney problems who are undergoing cardiac catheterization procedures.
The purpose of this study is to look at whether the use of a simple technique before surgery, which involves inflating a blood pressure cuff on the infant's leg, can improve development of language, motor and thinking skills at 12 months of age. Some research has found that a brief shortage of blood supply to an organ (such as a leg) at level that does not cause harm may help the body to tolerate a longer and more severe shortage of blood (for example, during surgery).
Antiplatelet therapy remains a cornerstone in the treatment of acute and chronic coronary artery disease. Aspirin was the first such therapy to prove its benefits in acute myocardial infarction. Compared to aspirin monotherapy, the combination of aspirin and clopidogrel, a thienopyridine P2Y12 inhibitor, has been demonstrated to reduce adverse event rates among patients with acute coronary syndromes (with or without ST-segment elevation) and those receiving intracoronary stents. In the Triton-TIMI 38 trial a novel thienopyridine, prasugrel, was compared to clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Although prasugrel significantly reduced recurrent myocardial infarction, bleeding rates were increased and no improvement in cardiac or all-cause mortality was demonstrated. However, in 2009, the authors of the PLATO trial demonstrated an unexpected cardiovascular mortality benefit with ticagrelor over clopidogrel, an endpoint not previously met by any other antiplatelet agent against an active comparator. Based on the reproducible adverse events seen in the DISPERSE, DISPERSE-2, and PLATO trials, an adenosine-mediated effect of ticagrelor is proposed. Hypothesis: The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that ticagrelor produces pharmacologic ischemic preconditioning, an undescribed potential off-label property of ticagrelor that could represent a plausible mechanism for its effects on cardiovascular mortality.
The investigators have previously shown that elective vascular surgery is a high-risk operation with an anticipated risk of either death or heart attack of 15%. This study is testing whether a protocol of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) applied 24 hours prior to the operation is safe, feasible and reduces the incidence of an adverse, perioperative cardiac complication.
This research is being done because pain is a significant problem for patients with a variety of medical problems and following surgery or traumatic injury. Currently available pain medications may not relieve all types of pain or may relieve pain only at doses that produce side effects and potential complications. Although Remote Ischemic Preconditioning (RIPC) appears promising, there remain several unanswered questions about how it works. This research trial will help determine how RIPC may activate the bodies natural pain control system. The goals of this study are to see if RIPC has any effect 1) on a small area of skin that will be expose to a small amount of UV- B radiation (a mild sunburn), 2) on acute thermal heat temperatures that will be applied to skin, and 3) on the sunburn-like sensation to light touch after putting capsaicin cream (the active ingredient in hot chili peppers) on skin. Remote ischemic preconditioning is done by inflating a balloon (very similar to a blood pressure cuff) on the leg until it blocks blood flow for a few minutes. The cuff is then deflated and blood flow resumes. The process is repeated up to three times. This procedure causes the body to increase its natural pain relief system that may help to decrease the amount of postsurgical pain.
Remote ischemic preconditioning has proven beneficial in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass surgery. Animal studies suggest remote ischemic preconditioning increases levels of interleukin 10. The investigators aim to determine whether remote ischemic preconditioning results in an increase in IL-10 levels in patients following acute myocardial infarction.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether application of lower limb remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) after determination of brain death improves donor stability, organ quality, organ yield, and early post transplant clinical outcomes. Neurological death donors will be stratified into standard and extended criteria donors (SCD/ECD) and randomized in a 1:1 fashion to RIPC or No intervention. The primary outcome is the number of organs recovered per donor. Secondary outcomes include donor hemodynamic state, donor organ-specific function parameters, pulsatile perfusion parameters, number of organs transplanted per donor, recipient hospital free survival and delayed graft function of kidneys. The sample size is powered to detect a difference of 0.44 organs recovered.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmic complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Post operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) increases morbidity and mortality. Inflammation could be a factor in POAF and recent evidence of remotely inducing ischemia may reduce inflammation and cardiac injury. The investigators plan to use a blood pressure cuff on the arm as a method to produce remote ischemia and assess the occurrence of POAF for seven day.
Vascular surgery is considered a high-risk operation with an anticipated risk of major cardiovascular complications in excess of 5%. The occurrence of a cardiovascular complication after surgery carries a long-term higher mortality risk. The main objective of this investigation is to reduce the proportion of patients having major cardiovascular complications during surgery through a clinical protocol of remote preconditioning that is safe, effective and reproducible.
Remote Ischemic PreConditioning (RIPC) will improve the postoperative pain experience in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Although abdominal surgery can be a lifesaving procedure many people have a significant amount of postsurgical pain. Severe postsurgical pain may lead to chronic pain in some people. "Remote Ischemic Preconditioning" may reduce the amount of postsurgical pain. Remote ischemic preconditioning is done by inflating a balloon (very similar to a blood pressure cuff) on the leg until it blocks blood flow for a few minutes. The cuff is then deflated and blood flow resumes. The process is repeated up to three times. This procedure causes the body to increase its natural pain relief system that may help to decrease the amount of postsurgical pain.
The application of a tourniquet for 5 minutes and subsequent reperfusion before actual inflation of the tourniquet for total knee arthroplasty (ischemic preconditioning) decreases the level of local inflammation and therefore postoperative pain in response to reperfusion of the ischemic extremity.
Remote Ischemic Preconditioning (RIPC) is a treatment that may be associated with improved outcomes after cardiac surgery. It can be elicited noninvasively by using a tourniquet to elicit transient ischemia over a lower extremity. It is thought to promote anti-inflammatory and cell survival pathways, and thus protect remote organs against future ischemic injury. We hypothesize that compared to sham treatment, RIPC will be associated with decreased post-operative acute kidney, myocardial, and lung injury.
Rupture of brain aneurysms is a common cause of death and disability, accounting for as many as 10% of stroke cases in the United States. While much of the resulting injury to the nervous system is caused by the initial bleeding from the aneurysm, many of these patients develop cerebral vasospasm, pathological constriction of the blood vessels supplying the brain, several days following hemorrhage. As many as a third of patients can suffer a resulting neurological deficit and stroke, presumably caused by the decreased blood flow to the brain (ischemia). This delayed brain injury accounts for a significant percentage of poor outcomes following aneurysm rupture. Studies have shown that remote ischemia to many organs can precondition other tissues (including the brain) to be more tolerant to decreases in blood flow. This "remote ischemic preconditioning" has the promise of protecting the brain from ischemic injury. Whereas in other forms of stroke the onset of ischemia cannot be predicted in the general population, following aneurysm rupture the investigators know which patients are likely to develop vasospasm and when. Therefore, ischemic preconditioning following aneurysm rupture may help prevent some of the ischemic injury caused by vasospasm. Remote ischemic preconditioning by transient limb ischemia (produced by inflation of a blood pressure cuff on the arm or leg) has been shown to minimize injury to other organs, most notably the heart. Remote ischemic preconditioning of the brain following aneurysm rupture has not yet been investigated.
This study tests the hypothesis that repeated inflation of a blood pressure cuff on the arm will improve results of coronary stent implantation by: * reducing chest pain and electrocardiogram changes during balloon inflation to place the stent * reducing leakage of heart muscle protein(troponin) into the blood stream after stent placement, indicated reduced damage to heart muscle during stent implantation * increases in molecules in the blood that promote dilation of arteries * reduced evidence of heart muscle damage on MRI immediately after stenting * improved patient outcomes over six months with fewer adverse cardiovascular events(heart attack, acute coronary syndrome,renarrowing of the stented artery, heart failure, death, stroke, transient ischemic attack) * improved heart structure and function at 6 months after stenting
Main Research Questions: 1. Is a large trial of patients undergoing heart surgery comparing a simple procedure of temporarily stopping blood flow to the leg with a blood pressure cuff (called remote ischemic preconditioning) to a sham procedure possible? 2. Does the remote ischemic preconditioning procedure before heart surgery help protect the heart and kidneys? What is Being Studied: A simple procedure known as remote ischemic preconditioning. The procedure is performed by inflating a pressurized cuff the thigh to temporarily stop blood flow to the arm or leg. This procedure causes the body to have a stress response that, at the cellular level, may protect major organs like the heart and kidney from the damage caused to them by the much larger stress of cardiac surgery. Reducing this damage may improve patient's recovery after surgery and help them live longer. Why is this study important?: This research is important because up to 1 in every 20 patients that undergo heart surgery die before even leaving hospital. Preventing heart and kidney damage at the time of surgery with remote ischemic preconditioning may reduce patient deaths.
Does remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) induced by a brief period of occlusion of blood flow to the lower extremity prior to organ recovery in deceased donors, improve short and long term outcomes after transplantation of kidneys, livers and pancreas? To test this hypothesis deceased organ donors will be randomized to receive either RIPC or No RIPC before organ recovery. RIPC will be induced in the operating room after commencement of procurement surgery. RIPC will be induced by tourniquet-induced occlusion of blood flow to the lower extremity for 10 minutes in each side, for a total duration of 20 minutes. The remainder of the organ recovery and organ preservation will be as per standard of practice. Recovered livers, kidneys and pancreas will be transplanted into allocated recipients. Transplantation and patient management after transplantation will be as per standard of practice. Organ-specific function and cell injury parameters will be utilized to assess the early postoperative outcomes of individual organs and recipients. Long term outcomes will be assessed by graft and recipient survival.