Congenital anomaly of the great arteries

This completed study tested the drug upadacitinib in 12 people with refractory Takayasu arteritis, a rare autoimmune disease that inflames the body's largest artery. The goal was to see if the drug could help patients who haven't responded to standard treatments achieve remission…

This study tested whether using a measure of oxygen in the blood (SvO2) to guide red blood cell transfusions during heart surgery could reduce how many patients receive transfusions. Over 600 adults undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery were randomly assigned to either standard rest…

This study tested whether making a small cut in the sac around the heart (posterior pericardiotomy) during open-heart surgery can prevent a common complication called atrial fibrillation. 210 adults having elective heart surgery in Yemen were randomly assigned to receive either t…

This study tested whether a low dose (4.5 mg) of naltrexone, a drug already used for alcoholism, can improve physical health and quality of life in people with vasculitis. Sixty participants took either the drug or a placebo daily for six weeks. The goal was to see if the drug le…

This study uses French national health data to compare the risk of major heart problems—like heart attack, stroke, and death—in people with Takayasu arteritis versus similar people without the disease. It also looks at how steroid use may affect these risks. The goal is to better…

This study looked at 200 men and women who had surgery to repair a small ascending aortic aneurysm (5.0-5.5 cm). Researchers wanted to see if gender affects early and long-term outcomes like death, heart attack, or bleeding. The goal is to understand why women might have worse re…

This study looked at how well surgery works for people with an enlarged aorta (aneurysm) in the chest. Researchers compared outcomes in 50 patients who had surgery versus those who did not, tracking deaths and how fast the aorta grew over time. The goal was to better understand w…

This completed study looked at 44 patients who had lung cancer surgery to understand how the arteries in the lungs can vary from person to person. Using CT scans and 3D models, researchers mapped these variations to help surgeons avoid complications during lobectomy. The goal was…

This completed study reviewed the medical records of 210 people with aortitis (inflammation of the aorta) or retroperitoneal fibrosis (scar tissue in the abdomen). The goal was to find patterns in symptoms, lab tests, and imaging that could help doctors tell different types of th…

This study tested a dye called pimonidazole to see if it can safely detect low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in the aorta of people having surgery for an ascending aortic aneurysm. Nine adults received the dye before surgery, and researchers measured how much of it was in the removed a…

This completed study looked at 101 patients with severe aortic stenosis who had a minimally invasive heart valve replacement (TAVR). Researchers wanted to see if the procedure was safe for patients who also had an enlarged ascending aorta (≥40 mm). They compared outcomes like dea…

This study tests two new monitoring techniques—long loop reflexes (F-waves) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)—to detect spinal cord ischemia early after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Current methods work during surgery but are too painful for awake patients afterwa…

This study looked at 78 people with Takayasu arteritis, a rare disease that causes narrowing of the main artery from the heart. Researchers compared those who had surgery or a procedure to open the artery with those who got only medication. The goal was to see which group lived l…