Heart failure affects about 6 million Americans. It means the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Treatment includes pills that help the heart work more efficiently, devices like pacemakers and defibrillators, and sometimes transplant. Many people live active lives with heart failure when it's well-managed.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing SGLT2 inhibitors (originally diabetes drugs) that have shown benefit across all types of heart failure, gene therapies aimed at improving heart muscle function, new drugs targeting heart muscle stiffness in preserved ejection fraction heart failure, and device improvements. Research is also focused on preventing heart failure in people with conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
SGLT2 inhibitors
Drugs like dapagliflozin and empagliflozin, developed for diabetes, reduce hospitalizations and death in heart failure patients. They work even in people without diabetes and across different types of heart failure.
Gene therapy
Experimental treatments deliver genes directly to heart muscle to increase calcium handling or strengthen contractions. Early trials show potential for improving heart function in people who don't respond well to standard medications.
Preserved ejection fraction treatments
About half of heart failure patients have a type where the heart squeezes normally but doesn't fill properly. New drugs targeting inflammation and heart muscle stiffness are showing promise after decades with no specific treatments.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on ejection fraction (how well the heart pumps), symptom severity, prior medications tried, and whether you have other conditions like kidney disease or diabetes.
What types of trials are currently open
- Medication trials — Testing new pills or infusions that help the heart pump better or reduce fluid buildup. Many compare new drugs to standard treatment.
- Device trials — Testing improved pacemakers, defibrillators, or devices that help the heart pump. Some studies compare device therapy to medication alone.
- Gene therapy trials — Delivering genetic material to heart muscle cells to improve their function. Usually for people whose heart failure hasn't improved with standard treatment.
- Exercise and rehabilitation trials — Testing structured exercise programs, cardiac rehabilitation, or remote monitoring to reduce symptoms and hospitalizations.
- Registry studies — Following large groups of heart failure patients to understand which treatments work best for different types of people.
Recently added Heart Failure trials
FAPl Imaging Assessment of Revascularization Outcome in Ischemic Heart Failure
Ischemic heart failure (IHF) is the final stage of coronary heart disease. Coronary revascularization is an important treatment method for IHF, but it has high perioperative risks and not all patients can benefit from it. Evaluation of viable myocardium is one of the important decision-making methods for IHF, but recent research results have raised doubts about its value. The clinical community urgently needs more precise and comprehensive non-invasive decision-making methods. Fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) imaging can specifically identify activated fibroblasts and achieve non-invasive diagnosis of the early and reversible stage of myocardial injury. Previous studies have shown that FAPI imaging can identify more damaged myocardium in various heart diseases compared to existing imaging techniques, demonstrating good clinical application potential. This study aims to conduct a prospective cohort trial for IHF patients who have undergone revascularization, using 18F-FAPI and viable myocardium (18F-FDG) imaging to analyze the degree of improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction after revascularization and major adverse cardiovascular events, and to explore the independent or additive predictive value of 18F-FAPI imaging, in order to provide a more reliable non-invasive imaging decision-making method for the revascularization strategy of IHF patients.
Mobile-Based Telemedicine and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients With Chronic Heart Failure (MOBILE-HF)
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a long-term condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood effectively. It can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs, and reduced ability to perform daily activities. These problems often reduce a patient's quality of life and may lead to frequent hospital visits. This study will assess whether a mobile-based telemedicine program can improve the health-related quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure in Ethiopia. In this study, 70 adult patients with chronic heart failure will be included. They will be divided into two groups: 35 patients will receive routine care plus mobile-based telemedicine support, and 35 patients will receive routine care only. The mobile-based telemedicine program will include health education, medication reminders, lifestyle advice, and follow-up support delivered through phone calls and text messages over an 8-week period. Patients' quality of life will be measured at the beginning of the study and again after 8 weeks using a standard questionnaire called the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). The main goal of the study is to determine whether mobile-based telemedicine improves quality of life compared with routine care alone. The study may also help improve self-care behaviors, medication adherence, and symptom control among patients with heart failure. The findings may provide evidence to support the use of mobile health technologies as a simple and scalable approach to improve heart failure care in Ethiopia.
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