Aortic Dissection clinical trials at UCLA
3 research studies open to eligible people
Endovascular Repair Of Ascending Aortic Pathologies
open to eligible people ages 18 years and up
The purpose of this study is to investigate the outcome of patients with pathologies of the ascending thoracic aorta (diseases in the great blood vessel or artery that leads away from the heart) including type A aortic dissection, retrograde type A aortic dissection, intramural hematoma, penetrating ulcer or pseudoaneurysm who are suitable for endovascular (within the vessel) repair with the Medtronic Valiant PS-IDE (Physician Sponsored-Investigational Device Exemption) Stent Graft. Type A aortic dissection is a condition where blood passes through the inner lining or between the layers of the blood vessel from a tear in the aortic wall (dissection) in the ascending aorta; a retrograde Type A aortic dissection is a condition where the dissection or tear in the ascending aorta starts from the descending aorta; an intramural hematoma is a collection of clotted blood within the aortic wall; a penetrating ulcer has a plaque or clot within the wall and a pseudoaneurysm is a false aneurysm . If left untreated in any of these conditions, the aorta can enlarge and rupture causing injury or death. The plan for these patients is to repair the ascending thoracic aorta using the Medtronic Valiant PS-IDE Stent Graft with the Captivia Delivery System. The Valiant Captivia has been evaluated worldwide and used extensively in patients with type B (descending) thoracic aortic dissection. Since the dissections in the ascending aortas mirror that of the descending aorta, it is expected that this stent graft will deliver similar performance and endurance in patients with type A aortic dissection. The investigators expect to reroute the blood to the true lumen (the inner space within the blood vessel) by covering the proximal (nearest to the heart) tear with the stent graft. The stent graft is a stent frame made from Nitinol wire and covered with an expandable material made of a polyester material. This new study will determine how well the device works to treat dissections, intramural hematomas, penetrating ulcers and pseudoaneurysms in the ascending thoracic aorta.
Torrance, California and other locations
Developing a Decision Instrument to Guide Abdominal-pelvic CT Imaging of Blunt Trauma Patients
open to all eligible people
Unrecognized abdominal and pelvic injuries can result in catastrophic disability and death. Sporadic reports of "occult" injuries have generated concern, and physicians, fearing that they may miss such an injury, have adopted the practice of obtaining computed tomography on virtually all patients with significant blunt trauma. This practice exposes large numbers patients to dangerous radiation at considerable expense, while detecting injuries in a small minority of cases. Existing data suggest that a limited number of criteria can reliably identify blunt injury victims who have "no risk" of abdominal or pelvic injuries, and hence no need for computed tomography (CT), without misidentifying any injured patient. It is estimated that nationwide implementation of such criteria could result in an annual reduction in radiographic charges of $75 million, and a significant decrease in radiation exposure and radiation induced malignancies. This study seeks to determine whether "low risk" criteria can reliably identify patients who have sustained significant abdominal or pelvic injuries and safely decrease CT imaging of blunt trauma patients. This goal will be accomplished in the following manner: All blunt trauma victims undergoing computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis in the emergency department will undergo routine clinical evaluations prior to radiographic imaging. Based on these examinations, the presence or absence of specific clinical findings (i.e. abdominal/pelvic/flank pain, abdominal/pelvic/flank tenderness, bruising abrasions, distention, hip pain, hematuria, hypotension, tachycardia, low or falling hematocrit, intoxication, altered sensorium, distracting injury, positive FAST imaging, dangerous mechanism, abnormal x-ray imaging) will be recorded for each patient, as will the presence or absence of abdominal or pelvic injuries. The clinical findings will serve as potential imaging criteria. At the completion of the derivation portion of the study the criteria will be examined to find a subset that predicts injury with high sensitivity, while simultaneously excluding injury, and hence the need for imaging, in the remaining patients. These criteria will then be confirmed in a separate validation phase of the study. The criteria will be considered to be reliable if the lower statistical confidence limit for the measured sensitivity exceeds 98.0%. Potential reductions in CT imaging will be estimated by determining the proportion of "low-risk" patients that do not have significant abdominal or pelvic injuries.
Los Angeles, California
International Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) "iSCAD" Registry
open to eligible people ages 18 years and up
The aim of "iSCAD," the International Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) Registry, is to serve as an internationally collaborative, multicenter registry coordinated by an experienced and centralized coordinating center in an effort to increase the pace of participant recruitment, and thereby increase statistical power of studies related to SCAD. The ultimate goal of iSCAD Registry is to facilitate the development of best practices and clinical guidelines for preventing SCAD or its recurrence. This observational study will be prospective and retrospective in its recruitment and will collect clinical information to better understand the natural history and prognosis for SCAD.
Los Angeles, California and other locations
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