Heart failure affects about 6 million Americans and occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Treatment typically includes pills like ACE inhibitors or ARBs, beta-blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, and diuretics. Device therapy and heart transplant remain options for advanced disease.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new drugs that target heart muscle function directly, gene therapies for inherited forms, devices that regulate blood flow, and stem cell approaches to rebuild damaged heart tissue. SGLT2 inhibitors originally developed for diabetes have recently shown strong results and are now standard treatment. Researchers are also studying ways to prevent progression from early dysfunction to symptomatic heart failure.
Myosin modulators
A new class of drugs changes how heart muscle contracts. Omecamtiv mecarbil and aficamtiv showed promise in trials, and others are being tested to improve pumping without increasing oxygen demand.
Gene therapy
Trials are testing gene therapy for inherited heart muscle disease and for boosting a protein called SERCA2a that helps heart cells relax. Early results suggest some people see improved heart function.
Cardiac regeneration
Studies are testing whether stem cells or growth factors can prompt the heart to grow new muscle cells. This approach aims to repair damage from heart attacks or long-standing disease.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on ejection fraction (how much blood the heart pumps), symptom severity, prior medications tried, and whether heart failure resulted from a specific cause like valve disease or heart attack.
What types of trials are currently open
- Drug trials — Testing new medications that improve heart pumping, reduce fluid buildup, or slow disease progression. May compare new drugs to current standard treatments.
- Device trials — Testing implantable devices like newer pacemakers, pumps that assist the heart, or systems that regulate kidney function to remove excess fluid.
- Gene therapy trials — Testing one-time treatments that deliver genetic material to heart cells, aiming to improve function or slow inherited forms of heart failure.
- Regenerative trials — Testing stem cells or biological factors to see if damaged heart muscle can be repaired or replaced.
- Exercise and rehab studies — Testing structured exercise programs, dietary interventions, or remote monitoring to improve symptoms and quality of life.
Recently added Heart Failure trials
Comparison of Three-dimensional and Two-dimensional Left Ventricle Strain With Speckle-tracking Echocardiography in Heart Failure With Reduced and Mildly Reduced Ejection Fraction.
This study will compare two ultrasound techniques, 2D and 3D speckle-tracking echocardiography, for measuring how well the heart muscle contracts in patients with heart failure and reduced pumping function. While 2D global longitudinal strain (GLS) is widely used and has proven value in predicting outcomes, 3D GLS may provide a more complete assessment of heart function. Researchers will enroll 419 patients from seven cardiac rehabilitation hospitals in Italy and analyze heart ultrasound images using standardized equipment and software. The study will assess how closely 2D and 3D GLS measurements agree, identify factors that influence any differences, and determine whether 3D GLS better predicts the risk of death than 2D GLS.
Early Detection and IntervenTion in Heart Failure
Heart failure (HF) occurs when the heart is no longer able to pump blood effectively throughout the body. This leads to symptoms that gradually worsen over time and are often mistaken for normal signs of aging. Because of its insidious onset, early detection is challenging. Both patients and healthcare professionals are often insufficiently aware of the early signs and symptoms of HF, resulting in delayed diagnosis. Consequently, timely initiation of treatments that could slow disease progression, improve quality of life, and reduce hospitalizations is often missed. Although a simple blood test measuring NT-proBNP levels can facilitate the early diagnosis of HF, it is not routinely used in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether a combined strategy for the early diagnosis and treatment of HF can reduce hospitalizations. This strategy includes: 1. increasing awareness of HF among patients and physicians, 2. using NT-proBNP testing for the early detection of HF in high-risk patients, and 3. promptly initiating guideline-directed HF treatment when the diagnosis is confirmed. The researchers will assess whether this strategy effectively reduces hospitalizations due to acute heart failure over an 18-month follow-up period.
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