Clinical Trials

Are you in need of a heart or lung transplant or have you had one in the past 3 months? Have you undergone a lung or heart transplant in the past 3 months or are you a candidate for heart or lung transplant? Some people with advanced heart and lung disease have heart and lung transplants but these new organs are often rejected. When this happens, patients must have repeated biopsies, which are invasive and expensive. Researchers in this clinical study want to see if a blood test can predict organ rejection and take the place of biopsies. To participate, you must be 18 to 80 years old and be a candidate for heart or lung transplant or have had a heart or lung transplant no more than three months ago. The study is taking place in Bethesda, Maryland, at the NIH Clinical Center, as well as in Baltimore, Maryland, and Falls Church, Virginia.

Are you at least 18 years old and have been told by your doctor that you need a procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement? This study will test a new device designed specifically for use during a procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Researchers want to make transcatheter aortic valve replacement safer. To be in the study, you must be at least 18 and need a transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The study will take place in locations in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C.

Health organizations recommend exercise in an intensity based manner to promote cardiovascular adaptation and prevent disease. Metformin is a common anti-diabetes medication that reduces future type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, the optimal dose of exercise to be combined with metformin for vascular health remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether combining high or low intensity exercise with metformin has the potential to outperform either exercise intensity alone on blood flow across the arterial tree as well as impact insulin action in individuals with metabolic syndrome.

Do you have heart disease that requires an ICD to prevent sudden cardiac arrest? This study aims to learn what signs distinguish patients who have a higher risk of an arrhythmia that leads to sudden cardiac arrest. Researchers plan to track patients with a recent ICD replacement for 10 years. To participate in this study, you must be between 18 and 85 years old. This study is located in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Richmond, Virginia.

Do you or your child have a disease affecting the blood vessels? This study is collecting blood samples to study the role of inflammation in diseases of the blood vessels, including coronary heart disease and sickle cell disease. To participate, you or your child must be at least 2 years old and either be healthy or have a disease affecting the blood vessels. This study is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Are you an adult with sickle cell disease? This study aims to determine whether monthly exchange blood transfusions (removing blood and replacing it with transfused red blood cells) can improve health and prevent or reduce the number of pain crises. To participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years old, have sickle cell disease, and have not been on a chronic exchange transfusion program for at least 2 months. This study is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Do you have metabolic syndrome? This trial is testing whether low-intensity exercise or high-intensity exercise works best to lower the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases in people who have metabolic syndrome and are taking a medicine called metformin to treat high blood sugar levels. To participate in this study, you must be between 40 and 80 years old and diagnosed with metabolic syndrome but not type 2 diabetes. This study takes place in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Are you 65 years old or older, and do you have severe primary mitral regurgitation? This condition — also called degenerative mitral regurgitation — happens when there is a problem with the mitral valve itself or its supporting tissue, leading to a leaky valve. This study is comparing the safety and effectiveness of two different ways of repairing the mitral valve: transcatheter edge-to-edge repair and surgical repair. To participate in this study, your healthcare provider must determine that you are a candidate for both mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair and surgical repair. This study takes place in multiple locations across the United States and Canada.