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Clinical Trials

Congestive Heart Failure Patients Sought For Exercise Study

Mayo Clinic physicians are participating in a research study to determine if patients with congestive heart failure can live longer and avoid hospitalization if put on a tailored exercise program.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will enroll 3,000 patients from 60 health care sites in the United States, Canada and France to investigate the role of exercise as a treatment for heart failure. Lifestyle changes, weight control and proper exercise already have been shown beneficial in several small studies. This study will compare one group assigned to a structured exercise program to another group assigned to a usual standard of care program. From that comparison, researchers hope to determine if exercise reduces the amount and duration of hospitalization and mortality from the disease.

Patients must be over 18 years old and have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Those eligible will receive study-related medical care at no charge. This will include exercise testing, follow-up calls to determine health status and evaluations at Mayo Clinic every three months during the first two years of the study and yearly thereafter. Participants randomly selected to participate in the exercise-training group will also receive:

• Information about exercise training
• Supervised exercise sessions in the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Department at St. Luke's Hospital tailored to each patient's medical condition and physical ability
• Exercise with supervision about one hour a day, three days a week for three months (progressing to a home exercise program)
• A treadmill or stationary bicycle for home use
• A heart monitor to track the effects of the exercise program

For more information, contact Pamela Oldano in the Clinical Studies Unit at (904) 296-3817.

Non-Cardiac Chest Pain Clinical Research Trial

The Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology is studying if the investigational use of an alreadyapproved medication, Nexium, will improve symptoms of non-cardiac chest pain.

If you are:

• between the ages of 18 and 80,
• recently diagnosed as having non-cardiac chest pain,
• having chest pain at least three days a week,
• not currently taking a proton-pump inhibitor (Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Aciphex, or Protonix),

you may be eligible to participate in a clinical research study.

To learn more, please contact Marcia Christy in the Clinical Studies Unit at Mayo Clinic, at (904) 953-8268.

Volunteers Sought for Stroke Research Studies

The Mayo Clinic Stroke Research Group is seeking volunteers to participate in stroke research studies. Participants who volunteer for the study will answer medical history questions, have a brief neurological assessment, and a one-time blood draw. The information collected will be used for genetic research to locate the genes that increase the risk of developing stroke. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

You may be eligible if:

• You are a male or female over the age of 18,
• You have had a stroke due to blood clot (ischemic stroke), OR
• You have no history of stroke.

If you are interested and would like more information about the studies please call (904) 296-3815.