Coronary heart disease (CHD) affects millions of people in the United States and is an increasingly important health problem. People who have a family member with CHD may have a higher risk for developing CHD because of shared genetic factors and similar lifestyles. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Family Passport to Heart Health Program, which is a personalized screening and education program aimed at lowering CHD risk for family members of patients hospitalized with CHD.

This is a research study to determine patient preferences between two different diagnostic tests; a CT angiogram (CTA) and a catheter angiogram, both of which are used at the University to screen for and detect heart disease.

This trial evaluates the safety and effectiveness of catheter ablation for PAF. The investigational catheter being studied is the NAVISTAR® THERMOCOOL® irrigated-tip catheter. It is currently FDA-approved for commercial distribution in the U.S. for treating patients with Type I atrial flutter and drug refractory Ventricular Tachycardia for MI patients. The catheter is approved for use in Europe for endocardial ablation for treating cardiac arrhythmias.

This study includes male subjects age 45 to 70, who have sustained a traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) at least 10 years prior. Subjects will be interviewed for demographic data, including heart disease risk factors. A blood test for cholesterol levels will be drawn. A CT scan of arteries of the heart will be performed to determine the presence of coronary calcium, a marker of subclinical Coronary Heart Disease. Scoring of Coronary Calcium or Coronary Calcium Score (CCS) is automated by the CT scanner. Each subject's Framingham Risk Score will be calculated; This is an individuals 10 year risk of having a Coronary Heart Disease event (significant symptoms). In addition, it will be determined if subjects are being treated for diagnosed dyslipidemia (high cholesterol) according to the National Cholesterol Educational Program (NCEP) guidelines. The proposed pilot study aims to better understand the problem of Coronary Heart Disease in individuals with Spinal Cord Injury, specifically CCS in SCI, when compared to the general population.

To demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Driver Coronary Stent coated with 10 mcg/mm ABT-578 compared to the uncoated Driver Stent for the treatment of single de novo lesions in native coronary arteries 2.25-3.5 mm in diameter.

Compare the effectiveness of 3 strategies by pharmacists to decrease the time to refill of prescriptions for common chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, heart failure, depression, psychoses).

Endothelin-1 is a powerful substance that may be involved in causing hemodynamic instability (problems related to unstable blood pressure) during and after open heart surgery. Tezosentan is an investigational intravenous drug that blocks the endothelin receptors. This clinical trial will assess the potential benefit of tezosentan compared with placebo in the treatment of patients undergoing open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Treatment time is from the start of surgery up to 24 hours.

Heart failure, a chronic illness afflicting 5 million persons in the United States is known to cause shortness of breath and fatigue, yet at least half of persons with heart failure also report the presence of pain. The cause of pain for these persons is not clear. PAIN-HF (Pain Assessment, Incidence & Nature in Heart Failure), conducted through the Palliative Care-Heart Failure Education And Research Trials (PC-HEART) collaborative will identify the prevalence of pain, its location, severity and impact on activities and the possible causes of pain in persons living with heart failure. The study will also try to understand relationships between other problems and pain, as well as what treatments are given to reduce pain. Understanding sources of pain and its characteristics is the first step in helping health care providers better manage pain and related problems in persons with heart failure.

The overall objective is to increase the adherence to national guidelines for patients with established CVD and/or Type 2 diabetes by means of repeated post-graduate educational meetings and regular evaluation of the optimisation initiatives, demonstrated by improvement of goal attainment in general practice.

Heart disease among pregnant women is increasing in incidence. The cardiovascular changes associated with pregnancy may be particularly hazardous for both mother and fetus in a subset of these patients. The period of greatest risk is peripartum while these patients are under the care of the obstetrician and anesthesiologist. We will evaluate the anesthetic management of all women with heart disease whose pregnancies were followed at the University Health Network and/or Mount Sinai Hospital between 1986 and 2001.