Clinical Trials

The goal of this mechanistic clinical trial is to learn about the effects of medications called soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulators on vascular function and markers of kidney and brain injury in patients having heart surgery. This will provide important information to determine the underlying reasons that patients have some kidney and brain function problems after having heart surgery.

The investigators' central hypothesis is that early combination therapy with two PAH-specific oral therapies that have been shown to be well tolerated in the pediatric population, sildenafil and bosentan, will result in better World Health Organization (WHO) functional class at 12 months after initiation of PAH treatment than therapy with sildenafil alone.

The primary goal of this study is to determine whether curative therapies for individuals with SCD will result in improved or worsening heart, lung, and kidney damage when compared to individuals with SCD receiving standard therapy. The investigators will also explore whether certain genes are associated with a good or bad outcome after curative therapy for SCD.

Data from a randomized clinical trial are urgently needed to determine the effect of ketamine versus etomidate on cardiovascular complications and clinical outcomes of emergency tracheal intubation.

Do you or your child have sickle cell disease and also have an interest in contributing to long-term data collection? This study is monitoring patients and collecting biological samples from patients who have sickle cell disease to better understand long-term outcomes. Participants can be any age and must have sickle cell disease. This study is located in six sites in Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Do you or your child have pulmonary hypertension and want to help research? This study is looking to better understand pulmonary hypertension in children who have this condition. To participate in this study, you or your child must be 21 years old or younger and must have been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension before the age of 18. This study is located at multiple sites across the United States and Canada, including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Alberta, Canada.

Do you or a family member have pulmonary hypertension? This study is looking at how hormones contribute to pulmonary arterial hypertension and whether treatments for hormone imbalances or insulin resistance also improve pulmonary hypertension. To participate in this study, you must be 90 years old or younger and have pulmonary arterial hypertension or be a family member of someone who has this condition. This study is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Have you been diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance? This study aims to find out how the body’s regulation of basic functions, such as heart rate and blood pressure, is altered in people who have orthostatic intolerance. This condition, which has an unknown cause, is characterized by a racing heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, and other symptoms that occur when a person stands up. To participate in this study, you must be between 18 and 80 years old and have orthostatic intolerance. This study is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Do you want to help find new treatments for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction? This study is testing whether a medicine called spironolactone can help treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction when paired with the standard treatment. Spironolactone helps to remove excess water and sodium from the body. To participate in this study, you must be between 50 and 99 years old and diagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Do you have low blood pressure due to primary autonomic failure from a medical condition such as Parkinson disease, multiple system atrophy, or pure autonomic failure? Autonomic failure is caused by problems with a part of the nervous system called the autonomic nervous system. People with this condition can suffer debilitating low blood pressure upon standing. This study is testing the use of compression garments compared with a medicine called midodrine to improve blood pressure. To participate in this study, you must be between 18 and 80 years old and have low blood pressure when standing. This study takes place in Nashville, Tennessee.