Today a clinical trial "PARTNERS HF:
Multi-Site Program to Access and Review Trending Information and Evaluate
Correlation to Symptoms in Patients with Heart Failure," was presented at
the 12th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America
(HFSA) by Dr. David Whellan, who is an Associate Professor of Medicine,
Jefferson Heart Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
This clinical trial highlighted the results of evaluating the intrathoracic
fluid data collected by implantable devices used to treat patients with
heart failure as a possible tool to determine subsequent heart failure
related adverse events. The scientific meeting began Monday at the Metro
Toronto Convention Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and also featured
new research, advances in treatment, guidelines for care, debates, and late
breaking clinical trials.
"This finding could be important to help us better understand how body
functions (i.e., excess fluid) effect the progression of heart failure,"
said Dr. Barry Greenberg, HFSA President, and Professor of Medicine, and
Director, Advanced Heart Failure Treatment Program, University of
California, San Diego. "Diagnostic measures that would lead to early
detection of changes in various parameters could ultimately allow us to
intervene at an early time and thus prevent cardiac events from occurring."
This trial enrolled 1,000 patients and followed them for a period of 12
months in order to determine the outcome of diagnostic information obtained
from an implantable cardiac defibrillator which measures changes in fluid
levels in the thoracic cavity. Low electrical pulses travel across the
thorax to measure the level of resistance, changes indicate increasing or
decreasing fluid levels. Worsening heart failure is commonly characterized
by fluid accumulation. This study examined whether certain changes in the
fluid index could identify patients at risk for subsequent heart failure
event. Additionally, if a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia is
detected, the devices in this study were capable of delivering an
electrical pulse or shock to correct it.
Dr. Whellan explained that the trial observed how well the diagnostic
parameters predicted the incidence of clinical events. "We now have this
continuous diagnostic data available for patients during in-clinic visits
as well as a remote follow up over the internet. This trial found that
patients with a high intrathoric fluid were about three times more likely
to have a subsequent heart failure event, independent of other clinical
variables."
About Heart Failure
Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle
becomes weakened after it is injured from heart attack or high blood
pressure and gradually loses its ability to pump enough blood to supply the
body's needs. Many people are not aware they have heart failure because the
symptoms are often mistaken for signs of getting older. Heart failure
affects from 4.6 to 4.8 million individuals in the United States.
Demographic and clinical evidence strongly suggest the prevalence of heart
failure will increase throughout the next decade. Ten to 15 years ago heart
failure was considered a "death sentence;" however, recent advances in
treatment have shown that early diagnosis and proper care in early stages
of the condition are key to slowing, stopping or in some cases reversing
progression, improving quality of life, and extending life expectancy. For
more information on heart failure, please visit abouthf.
About the Heart Failure Society of America
The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) is a nonprofit educational
organization, founded in 1994 as the first organized association of heart
failure experts. Today HFSA has over 1,700 members and provides a forum for
all those interested in heart function, heart failure research and patient
care. The Society also serves as a resource for governmental agencies (FDA,
NIH, NHLBI, CMS). The HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting is designed to
highlight recent advances in the development of strategies to address the
complex epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic issues of heart failure.
Additional information on HFSA can be found at hfsa.
The Heart Failure Society of America
hfsa