Cardiovascular diseases include heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and conditions like atrial fibrillation. They remain the leading cause of death worldwide, but treatment has advanced rapidly — from stents and clot-busting drugs to powerful cholesterol medications and devices that support failing hearts.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new anticoagulants that balance stroke prevention with bleeding risk, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists that protect the heart in people with diabetes, gene therapies for inherited heart conditions, and anti-inflammatory drugs that address atherosclerosis as an inflammatory disease. Researchers are also studying wearable devices for early detection and personalized prevention strategies.
Anti-inflammatory approaches
Trials are testing drugs that reduce inflammation in artery walls, treating atherosclerosis as more than just cholesterol buildup. Early results suggest these may prevent heart attacks in people already on statins.
SGLT2 inhibitors for heart failure
Originally diabetes drugs, SGLT2 inhibitors like dapagliflozin are now FDA-approved for heart failure after trials showed they reduce hospitalizations. Studies continue in people without diabetes.
Gene therapies for inherited conditions
Trials are testing gene-editing approaches for familial hypercholesterolemia and cardiomyopathies caused by single gene mutations. These one-time treatments could address root causes rather than manage symptoms.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on specific diagnosis, heart function measures like ejection fraction, prior cardiovascular events, current medications, and risk factors like diabetes or kidney disease.
What types of trials are currently open
- Prevention trials — Testing medications, lifestyle interventions, or devices to prevent first heart attacks or strokes in high-risk people.
- Heart failure trials — Studies of drugs, devices like ventricular assist devices, or new ways to manage fluid and symptoms in people with weakened hearts.
- Anticoagulation trials — Testing newer blood thinners for atrial fibrillation or clot prevention, often comparing safety and effectiveness against warfarin or other anticoagulants.
- Post-heart attack trials — Testing treatments to protect the heart after a heart attack, reduce scarring, or prevent future events.
- Device trials — Studies of pacemakers, defibrillators, heart pumps, or wearable monitors that detect irregular rhythms or early signs of heart failure.
Recently added Cardiovascular Diseases trials
Ligasure Versus Conventional Diathermy in Hemorrhoidectomy
comparison study in the treatment of hemorrhoid between ligasure device and the conventional diathermy
Predicting High-Risk Carotid Plaque: Integrating radioMics and biomEchanics
Non-pharmacological interventional study for the development of a predictive model aimed at identifying unstable carotid plaques in asymptomatic patients at first diagnosis, with the use of biological material and prospective-retrospective data collection
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