Cardiovascular Research

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Clinical Trials Unit

The Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) of Northwestern facilitates innovative clinical cardiovascular research to advance scientific knowledge, prevent disease and improve health care for all patients. Our research efforts include multicenter clinical trials on medical therapy, minimally invasive technology, device implantation and surgical options.

The CTU is affiliated with Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. These affiliations strengthen our ability to conduct meaningful clinical research and to support our clinical investigators. The CTU staff ensures compliance with federal, state and institutional regulations to protect the safety of our research participants.

CREST-2

The carotid arteries are major blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain, neck and face. CREST-2 is a clinical trial for people who have narrowing of their carotid artery, without stroke warning signs such as mini-strokes. CREST-2 is designed to compare three different methods of stroke prevention to find the safest and most effective treatment: intensive medical management alone or in combination with procedures to reopen the carotid artery (carotid endarterectomy or carotid stenting).

“The drugs that society has available today are much more advanced than the last time medical therapy was studied in CREST-1. The goal of CREST-2 and the reason Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is involved, is to evaluate the effectiveness of current medical therapy for patients at risk of stroke due to carotid artery disease,” says Mark K. Eskandari, MD.

Surgical Options For Advanced Heart Failure

Patients with advanced heart failure may benefit from ventricular assist devices (VADs) at various stages throughout their disease progression. VADs are primarily used as either a bridge to heart transplant to keep patients alive while they wait to receive a donor heart or as destination therapy to provide a permanent alternative in patients who are not heart transplantation candidates.

“We have programs in place to treat both acute and chronic heart failure patients. Temporary support devices are one of the options used to stabilize patients in an acute state of heart failure, while VAD and heart transplant address long term needs,” says Duc Thinh Pham, MD. "Pioneering the latest technology at Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute enables us to have multiple treatment options for all our heart failure patients."

Regenerative Medicine

Through Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, Karen J. Ho, MD, is involved in two regenerative medicine clinical trials for patients with critical limb ischemia who have no other options for treatment. This type of regenerative medicine seeks to help the body repair itself by forming new blood vessels in the lower extremities. The trials are testing the safety and efficacy of the treatments, which involve DNA injections into the lower legs.

“Given the potential benefit of regenerative medicine, conducting these clinical trials is important to determine if these therapies are safe and effective so that ultimately they can be approved and available to all patients with peripheral arterial disease,” says Dr. Ho.

Cardiovascular Imaging Research

Michael Markl, PhD, director of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Research Operations, is using 4D flow imaging to advance new methods and technologies in cardiovascular MRI.

In addition to the standard 3D (length, width and height) imaging, the fourth dimension comes from the concept of time. 4D MRI heart imaging allows for a more comprehensive picture, helping clinicians better visualize blood flow through the heart and cardiovascular system.

“4D flow imaging research offers a new frontier in MRI techniques that can more accurately determine heart disorders and defects. With this type of imaging, we can look at the whole cardiovascular system without limitations,” says Dr. Markl.

Atrial Fibrillation: Reducing Stroke Risk

Pulmonary Vein Isolation Ablation (PVI) is a procedure used to treat atrial fibrillation (AF). This type of ablation works by scarring or destroying tissue around the pulmonary veins that may trigger AF.

The left atrial appendage (LAA) is a pocket-like section in the left atrium (upper chamber) of the heart that is often a source of blood clot formation that may cause up to 90 percent of strokes due to AF. The LARIAT procedure sutures shut the LAA from the outside of the heart potentially reducing risk of blood clots and stroke due to AF.

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is recruiting patients with persistent or longstanding persistent AF into the aMAZE Study: LAA Ligation Adjunctive to PVI for Persistent or Longstanding Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

“aMAZE is a clinical trial designed to compare the safety and efficacy of two different methods of AF treatment: PVI alone or PVI with the LARIAT procedure,” says Albert C. Lin, MD.

Ongoing Clinical Trials List

The Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) of Northwestern is currently conducting clinical research in the following specialty areas. The CTU was established in 2005 to provide the infrastructure necessary to assist investigators in performing high-quality clinical research trials.

Coronary Disease
Heart Failure
Heart Rhythm Disorders
Heart Valve Disease
Preventive Cardiology
Vascular Disease

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