An important mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to develop and carry out research studies designed to improve understanding of disease processes and treatments.

Clinical research continues to become more focused on specific diseases and the signs and symptoms of diseases in specific groups of people and patients.

This study is designed to permit inpatient evaluation and care of patients with heart disease who do not qualify to participate in research studies being conducted by the Cardiology Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). These patients are valuable to the Cardiology Branch of the NHLBI because they help to improve training and experience of its researchers.

Condition	Treatment or Intervention
Heart Disease	Drug: Standard of care treatment

Further Study Details: 

Expected Total Enrollment:  9999

An important mission of the NIH is the conduct of research that elucidates biological mechanisms, pathogenesis, and treatment of disease. Clinical research has evolved into an increasingly narrow focus on specific diseases and disease presentations in select subgroups of patients. It is desirable, and consistent with Clinical Center policy, for clinical investigators to maintain exposure to a more broad spectrum of disease and disease presentations than mandated by clinical research protocols in order to preserve clinical skills of physician and nursing staff, ensure adequate training of clinical research fellows, and stimulate ideas for future clinical research. This protocol permits evaluation and treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases who do not fulfill eligibility criteria for participation in existing clinical research protocols, but who are of medical interest for the purpose of training professional staff.

Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

INCLUSION CRITERIA
Patients with cardiovascular disease who are 18 years of age or older may participate in this training protocol The following is a representative list of the types of patient presentations and potential diagnoses eligible for this protocol:
Coronary artery disease with effort or rest angina or inducible myocardial ischemia as determined by noninvasive testing.
Valvular heart disease, including patients previously operated upon by Clinical Center heart surgeons prior to 1990.
Cardiomyopathies, including restrictive, congestive, and hypertrophic phenotypes.
Peripheral-artery disease with intermittent claudication or limb-threatening ischemia.
Renovascular disease with uncontrolled hypertension, intermittent pulmonary edema, or evidence of ischemic nephropathy.
Upper extremity peripheral artery disease.
Symptomatic supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias occurring either as primary events or associated with structural or ischemic heart disease.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
Pregnancy, for those patients who require testing or treatment requiring dobutamine, gadolinium or contrast media or radiation exposure.
Inability of patient, parent or legal guardian to provide informed consent.

Maryland
      National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), 9000 Rockville Pike,  Bethesda,  Maryland,  20892,  United States; Recruiting

Study ID Numbers:  950047; 95-H-0047
Record last reviewed:  December 13, 2004
Last Updated:  December 30, 2004
Record first received:  November 3, 1999
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00001458
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-04-08