Cardiovascular disease — including heart attacks, heart failure, and stroke — remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Treatment advances over the past decades have made many forms survivable, but prevention and better therapies for advanced disease remain urgent priorities.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new cholesterol-lowering drugs beyond statins, anti-inflammatory therapies that calm vessel inflammation, gene therapies for inherited heart conditions, and devices for heart failure. Researchers are also studying how to prevent repeat heart attacks and strokes, and how to reverse atherosclerosis that has already formed.
PCSK9 inhibitors and RNA therapies
Drugs like evolocumab and inclisiran sharply lower LDL cholesterol in people who can't tolerate statins or need deeper reductions. These therapies have cut heart attack and stroke rates in high-risk patients.
Anti-inflammatory approaches
Trials are testing whether drugs that reduce inflammation — including colchicine and antibodies targeting inflammatory pathways — can prevent heart attacks beyond what cholesterol lowering achieves. Some have already shown benefit in people with prior heart events.
Heart failure therapies
SGLT2 inhibitors, originally diabetes drugs, now help people with heart failure live longer and stay out of the hospital. Researchers are testing additional drug combinations and gene therapies for inherited heart failure.
What to know before you search
Eligibility often depends on prior heart events, cholesterol levels, heart function measures, current medications, and presence of other conditions like diabetes or kidney disease.
What types of trials are currently open
- Prevention trials — Testing whether drugs, lifestyle changes, or combinations of both can prevent first or repeat heart attacks and strokes in high-risk people.
- Heart failure trials — Testing new drugs, devices, or combinations to help the heart pump better and reduce hospitalizations.
- Cholesterol trials — Studies of new ways to lower LDL cholesterol or raise HDL cholesterol, often in people who can't tolerate statins.
- Device trials — Testing pacemakers, defibrillators, heart pumps, and valve repair devices for various heart conditions.
- Observational studies — Following people with heart disease over time to understand what factors predict outcomes and who benefits most from which treatments.
Recently added Cardiovascular Disease trials
Complete ultrasound and blood tests to assess muscle health
This prospective observational study aims to evaluate sarcopenia in intensive care patients with intracranial pathologies using ultrasound and to compare the predictive performance of different artificial intelligence models. Rectus femoris muscle thickness will be measured by ultrasound on ICU admission (Day 0) and Day 7. Prealbumin levels will be assessed on Days 0, 3, and 7, and the modified Nutrition Risk in Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) score will be calculated on the first day of ICU admission. Clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic data will be integrated into different artificial intelligence models to predict sarcopenia status on Day 7. The study aims to determine the effectiveness of artificial intelligence in the early identification of sarcopenia and to support future clinical decision-making in intensive care practice.
Apixaban Versus Warfarin for Left Ventricular Thrombus
Left ventricular thrombus is a blood clot that forms in the left ventricle and is associated with risk of systemic embolism and ischemic stroke. Warfarin has historically been used for anticoagulation in this condition, but it requires frequent international normalized ratio monitoring and is affected by dietary and drug interactions. Apixaban is a direct oral factor Xa inhibitor with fixed dosing and no routine anticoagulation monitoring requirement, and it is increasingly used in clinical practice for left ventricular thrombus, although definitive randomized evidence remains limited. This randomized, noninferiority trial will compare apixaban with warfarin for treatment of left ventricular thrombus. Eligible adults with recently confirmed left ventricular thrombus will be randomized 1:1 to apixaban or warfarin. The primary endpoint is complete left ventricular thrombus resolution at 3 months assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Participants will be followed through 12 months for thrombus-related, bleeding, cardiovascular, and mortality outcomes.
Find Cardiovascular Disease trials matched specifically to you
Answer 3 quick questions and we'll show you trials that fit your situation.